By John Galt
August 7, 2011 17:20 ET
Breaking hard on the wires now. Waiting for King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to start his speech any second now.
(Click on link to Reuters flash via title):
SAUDI KING ABDULLAH SAYS EVENTS IN SYRIA UNACCEPTABLE – STATEMENT
07 Aug 2011 21:04
Source: Reuters
SAUDI KING ABDULLAH SAYS EVENTS IN SYRIA UNACCEPTABLE – STATEMENT READ OUT ON AL ARABIYA TV
from Al-Arabiya News:
Saudi envoy to Syria called on for consultation: King Abdullah
Monday, 08 August 2011
Last Updated: Mon Aug 08, 2011 00:28 am (KSA) 21:28 pm (GMT)
By MUSTAPHA AJBAILI
Al ArabiyaKing Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia in a surprise speech early Monday summoned the Saudi ambassador in Damascus for consultation, saying the kingdom does not accept the violence taking place in Syria.
“The Kingdom today stands up to its historical responsibilities towards its brothers,” King Abdullah said in a speech statement obtained by Al Arabiya TV.
“The Syrian government knows Saudi Arabia’s positions towards it in the past,” the King added, calling for implementing immediate comprehensive reforms.
The speech by Saudi King Abdullah came a day after the Gulf Cooperation Council urged an end to “bloodshed” in Syria and called for major reforms, as international pressure mounted on Damascus over its deadly crackdown on democracy protests.
In a statement, the Gulf monarchies appealed for an “immediate end to violence… and bloodshed.”
They urged a “resort to wisdom and introducing serious and necessary reforms that would protect the rights and dignity of the (Syrian) people, and meet their aspirations.”
The bloc –which groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates –expressed concerns over the “mounting violence and the excessive use of force which resulted in killing and wounding large numbers”.
“As the council members express sorrow for the continuous bloodshed, they stress that they are keen on preserving the security, stability, and unity of Syria,” the statement said.
The Arab silence over the bloodshed in Syria was further broken on Sunday when Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby issued a statement expressing “growing concern and strong distress over the deteriorating security conditions in Syria due to escalating violence and military operations in Hama and Deir Ezzor and other areas of Syria.”
Mr. Elaraby, who took office in May, started his new job by visiting Syria but declined to give details of a meeting with President Assad.
[...] Saudi envoy to Syria called on for consultation: King Abdullah [...]