Arabian Gulf states yesterday dismissed a Russian proposal for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons to the international community, saying it would do little to end the bloodshed.
Countries in the Middle East have been sharply divided over how to handle the crisis in Syria, despite agreement at a meeting of foreign ministers earlier this month that the government of Bashar Al Assad was to blame for a chemical attack in Damascus suburbs on August 21.
"We've heard of the initiative . It's all about chemical weapons but doesn't stop the spilling of the blood of the Syrian people," Bahrain's foreign minister, Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said in Jeddah, where the Gulf Cooperation Council met yesterday.
The GCC's comments contrasted with a statement earlier yesterday from the Arab League chief, Nabil Elaraby, who said in Cairo that he welcomed the Russian proposal.
Before the Russian initiative, first suggested on Monday, Arabian Gulf states had been considered the most likely regional players to join a coalition supporting US-led punitive strikes on the Assad regime.
Five of the six GCC states had offered tentative support for US military action. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE have all backed a statement by 12 members of the G20, including Saudi Arabia, that called for punitive action against the regime. But that statement stopped short of directly calling for military action.
Yesterday, Sheikh Al Khalifa reiterated that the United Nations security council should undertake "necessary deterrent measures against the perpetrators of this ugly crime, for which the Syrian regime is responsible".
A final statement from the meeting, reported by Kuwait's state news agency, added that the international community should "offer protection for the Syrian people and enable them defend themselves".
Analysts say the GCC's stance could put them at odds with the US about how to deal with the crisis in Syria.
"US priorities and Gulf interests on Syria were not exactly identical," said Ayham Kamel, a regional analyst at the Eurasia Group, based in London. "The US is more interested in seeking a response on the chemical-weapons issue while Gulf states are more interested in seeing the US striking Assad in a way that would significantly degrade Mr Assad's power."
Bahrain chaired yesterday's meeting, which was attended by the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash.
edickinson@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting from Reuters, Agence France-Presse