WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is facing accusations it snubbed Canada in its quest for a United Nations Security Council seat by failing to campaign on behalf of its neighbour.

Richard Grenell, a former American spokesman at the UN, said U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice "not only didn't campaign for Canada's election but instructed American diplomats to not get involved" prior to Tuesday's voting.

Writing on the Fox News website, Grenell claimed Canada's bid to win one of the rotating Security Council seats collapsed in part, because the Harper government "had no American support."

Grenell, who worked for four U.S. ambassadors at the UN during the Bush administration, cited U.S. State Department insiders as his sources for the information.

He argued Rice "could have had her team work to Canada's benefit. Instead, she instructed colleagues to steer clear, effectively abandoning Canada."

P.J. Crowley, spokesman for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on Thursday declined to directly address the claims made by Grenell.

Asked whether the U.S. did anything to support Canada's bid, Crowley responded: "For that particular seat there was a contested election, and we were present. We voted. And beyond that, I'm not going to comment."

A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon also had no comment on Grenell's claims.

Canada withdrew its Security Council bid following the second round of balloting, failing to win the two-thirds majority necessary to secure a seat.

Germany won a seat during a first round of balloting. Canada earned just 78 votes on the second ballot, compared to 113 for Portugal, which will assume the second rotating Security Council seat reserved for Western European and other powers.

The loss came despite promises of support from 135 countries — marking the first time Canada has failed to win a Security Council campaign in more than 50 years.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed the historic loss Thursday as the result of "secret votes," stressing that Canada was not in a popularity contest.

"As I've said before, our engagement internationally is based on the principles that this country holds dear," Harper told reporters in eastern Quebec. "It is not based on popularity."

He added the government's decisions are based on shared Canadian values — freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, justice, development, and humanitarian assistance for those who need it.

"Those are the things we're pursuing, and that does not change regardless of what the outcome of a secret votes is," he said.

Meanwhile, Crowley, when pressed for more information on the U.S. government's position about the Security Council campaign, offered nothing but praise.

"We love Canada. We support Canada," he said. "We have the opportunity to work with Canada in many contexts, bilaterally, multilaterally."

While the vote in the 192-member UN General Assembly is secret, broad opposition by members of the Islamic bloc appears to have scuttled Canada's chances of returning to the council for the 2011-12 term.

The United Arab Emirates were among the Arab nations that opposed Canada's bid, according a government official quoted Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Lobbying against Canada for the seat "was not the stance" of the United Arab Emirates government, Ambassador Mohamed Abdulla Al Ghafi said through an aide.

The Harper government has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with the Arab state over a refusal to allow more flights from UAE-based Emirates and Etihad airlines to land at Canadian airports.

In the wake of the Security Council defeat, Cannon and other government officials blamed the result on Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, who earlier had said Canada had not earned a spot.

But UN officials have told Postmedia News that the Conservative government's staunch support for Israel had alienated it among members of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference.