Saudi Arabia officially told the United Nations on Tuesday that it would not be taking up a U.N. Security council seat -- opening the way for Jordan to take the place.

Saudi envoy to the United Nations Abdullah al-Mouallimi wrote to U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon to inform him of the move and reaffirm a Saudi protest over the way the council has acted over the Syria conflict.

China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Cuba won seats on the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday, despite fierce criticism of their records from rights campaigners.

The U.N. General Assembly elected 14 seats on the 47-member council which is taking on increased diplomatic importance because of the Syria war and other conflicts.

President Michel Suleiman stressed on Tuesday the importance of preserving Lebanon's good relations with Saudi Arabia, the same day he returned from a one-day official visit to Riyadh.

Suleiman met with a delegation from the Lebanese Business and Investment Council in Saudi Arabia which briefed him on its good ties with Saudi officials, Baabda Palace announced in a statement.

Thousands of Africans, mostly Ethiopians, surrendered to Saudi authorities for a second day on Tuesday as Addis Ababa announced the death of three citizens during clashes in the Gulf kingdom.

The men, women and children could be seen lining up under the blazing sun in the poor Manfuhah neighborhood of the capital waiting to be packed into buses to carry them to deportation centers.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati has said he would prefer the extension of President Michel Suleiman's mandate if given the choice between it and vacuum in the country's top post.

“If the elections were not held, then I would support the extension of President Michel Suleiman's tenure which is a better option than having vacuum,” Miqati told As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday.

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam described on Tuesday the visit of President Michel Suleiman to Saudi Arabia as positive, pointing out that the formation of his cabinet is a local affair linked to foreign circumstances.

“Suleiman's (visit to Saudi Arabia) definitely has benefits,” Salam said in comments published in al-Akhbar newspaper.

The Saudi government said Monday that a camel has tested positive for MERS, in the first case of an animal infected with the coronavirus that has killed 64 people worldwide.

A camel owned by a person diagnosed with the disease had "tested positive in preliminary laboratory checks," the health ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

President Michel Suleiman kicked off on Monday his one-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, meeting with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and holding also talks with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Riyadh.

Suleiman started his visit by meeting with Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz and both men discussed the latest developments in the region.

Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri stressed on Monday that President Michel Suleiman's visit to Saudi Arabia is not linked to the Lebanese cabinet formation or the presidency's term, which ends in May 2014.

“The visit of Suleiman is to tackle the latest regional and international developments and their impact on the situation in Lebanon,” Asiri said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.

President Michel Suleiman announced on Saturday that he will not discuss the government formation process during his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

It said that the president is seeking to distance Saudi Arabia from local Lebanese disputes by refusing to tackle this file.