GCC foreign ministers to tackle regional unrest

The Gulf Co-Operation Council's foreign ministers will hold a meeting in Riyadh tomorrow amid escalating crises and unrest around the region.

The meeting will be chaired by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs. The UAE currently holds the council's presidency.

The meeting will discuss "accelerating developments in the region", according to a statement on the state news agency, WAM. It did not give further details.

The Gulf states have sent about 1,500 security and military personnel to Bahrain to help restore order after weeks of protests. They also led calls for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya, with Qatar and the UAE sending fighter planes to help enforce it. Meanwhile, many in Yemen are calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The GCC's members are the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

kshaheen@thenational.ae