UN condemns alleged plot to kill Saudi envoy

Resolution doesn't specifically blame Iran but urges it to "comply with all obligations under int'l law."

By REUTERS
The United Nations in New York 311 (photo credit: Thinkstock/Imagebank)
The United Nations in New York 311
(photo credit: Thinkstock/Imagebank)
UNITED NATIONS - The UN General Assembly on Friday condemned an alleged plot -- blamed by US authorities on Iranian agents -- to kill Saudi Arabia's envoy to the United States and urged Iran to obey international law.
A resolution passed with 106 votes in favor, nine against and 40 abstentions did not specifically blame Iran, which has denied involvement, for the alleged assassination plan.
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But it urged Tehran "to comply with all of its obligations under international law" by cooperating with investigations.
US authorities said last month they had uncovered a plot by two Iranians linked to Tehran's security agencies to hire a hit man to kill Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.
One of them, Manssor Arbabsiar, was arrested in September and has pleaded not guilty. The other, Gholam Shakuri -- said by US officials to be a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards but by Iran to belong to an anti-Tehran rebel group -- is still at large.
The Saudi-crafted resolution said the 193-nation assembly "deplores the plot to assassinate the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America."
The passage of the resolution by a substantial majority came as Iran is under growing pressure over its nuclear program, which a UN report last week said appeared to have worked on designing an atom bomb.
Introducing the resolution, Saudi Arabia's UN Ambassador Abdullah al-Mouallimi said "enough is enough" with attacks on diplomatic personnel, but Riyadh was "not seeking to insult Iran or any other country."
Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told the assembly the resolution was "based on nothing but an unsubstantiated claim of one member state" -- the United States.
A White House statement said the resolution "sends a strong message to the Iranian government that the international community will not tolerate the targeting of diplomats."