United Nations: Saudi Arabia’s angry rejection of a Security Council seat one day after winning it is a United Nations first that stunned members of the body Friday.

But diplomats said there had been no official notice from Riyadh of its refusal to take up the seat on January 1. It was possible the kingdom could change its mind, they added.

“This is totally unexpected. We all had to look into the council history for a precedent and there is not one,” said a Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Campaigning and securing a seat normally takes years of preparation which makes the announcement even more surprising.”

Saudi Arabia was one of five nations elected by the UN General Assembly to start a two-year term on the 15-member Security Council. The others included Chad, Chile, Lithuania and Nigeria. All had stood unopposed.

“There was nothing controversial about the election. But the government has made it clear in recent weeks that it is concerned about Syria and the Palestine issue,” said a second UN diplomat.

“They will have to write to set out their official position and then the UN will have to decide the next step,” the envoy added.

“There could be a new election, but it is possible that Saudi Arabia can be persuaded to change its stance.”

The United Nations secretariat and UN General Assembly president had no immediate comment.

Saudi Arabia won a seat for the first time in Thursday’s election.

“Work mechanisms and double-standards on the Security Council prevent it from carrying out its duties and assuming its responsibilities in keeping world peace,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement explaining its move.

“Therefore Saudi Arabia... has no other option but to turn down Security Council membership until it is reformed and given the means to accomplish its duties and assume its responsiblities in preserving the world’s peace and security,” it added.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Russia sharply criticised Saudi Arabia for rejecting membership of the UN Security Council, slamming the kingdom’s “strange” argument that the body had failed over the Syria conflict.

“We are surprised by Saudi Arabia’s unprecedented decision,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The kingdom’s arguments arouse bewilderment and the criticism of the UN Security Council in the context of the Syria conflict is particularly strange,” it added. France, however, said it shared Saudi Arabia’s frustration. “We have an ongoing dialogue on the subject of Syria with Saudi Arabia. We share its frustration after the Security Council’s paralysis,” French foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said, noting that France is proposing reforms to the council’s veto rights.

Riyadh’s frustration is mostly directed at Washington, its oldest international ally, which has pursued policies since the Arab Spring that Saudi rulers have bitterly opposed and which have severely damaged relations with the United States, Saudi analysts have said.

Saudi Arabia has also been angered by a rapprochement between Iran, its old regional foe, and the US, which has taken root since President Barack Obama spoke by telephone last month to the new Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani.

Perpetuated conflicts

Citing the Security Council’s failure to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, take steps to end Syria’s civil war and to stop nuclear proliferation in the region, Riyadh said the body had instead perpetuated conflicts and grievances.

“Saudi Arabia ... is refraining from taking membership of the UN Security Council until it has reformed so it can effectively and practically perform its duties and discharge its responsibilities in maintaining international security and peace,” said.

The conservative kingdom has traditionally avoided big political statements, preferring to wield its influence as world’s top oil exporter, birthplace of Islam and chief Arab ally of the United States behind closed doors.

However, its anger at the international response to Arab issues, particularly the Syrian conflict, boiled over after Syria’s President, Bashar Al Assad, escaped US-led military strikes in response to a poison gas attack in Damascus by agreeing to give up his chemical arsenal.

It is the second time this month that Saudi Arabia has made a public gesture over what it sees as the Security Council’s failure to take action to stop the civil war.

Earlier this month, the Saudi foreign minister cancelled a speech at the UN General Assembly in frustration over the international inaction on Syria and the Palestinian issue.

“The kingdom sees that the method and work mechanism and the double standards in the Security Council prevent it from properly shouldering its responsibilities towards world peace,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.