Gulf, Russian ministers to meet over Syria

Foreign ministers from Gulf Arab countries will meet their Russian counterpart in Riyadh next week to discuss the Syrian conflict, Al Arabiya television reported on Thursday. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Shaikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah told the regional news channel the meeting would take place next Wednesday. Russia and China have twice used their vetoes to block UN Security Council resolutions on Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad has spawned an armed insurrection. The Gulf Cooperation Council - Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - said a month ago that its members would recall their ambassadors from Syria and expel the Syrian envoys in their capitals.