Iran, Syria and Yemen top the agenda of Gulf leaders during their summit in Riyadh

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is scheduled to hold its 32nd summit on Monday in Saudi Arabia. The
gathering is the first summit since Arab uprisings transformed the Middle East this year. The latest developments in Yemen, the crisis in Syria and the dispute with Iran will top the agenda of the Gulf meeting in Riyadh, Al Arabiya reported. Gulf Arab officials have expressed hope that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would finally sign an Arab League peace deal aimed at ending a crackdown on protests and averting a civil war.

After six weeks of Syrian stalling, Qatar said it had information Assad would sign the plan, which calls for withdrawing the army from towns that have turned against him, freeing thousands of political prisoners, starting dialogue with the opposition and letting monitors into the country.

“We have information that indicates that he will sign the initiative. If this is true or not true we’ll see,” Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani said in Riyadh, according to Al Arabiya

“If they don’t sign we will take the matter to the Security Council to adopt all the resolutions which have been taken by the Arab League,” Sheikh Hamad told reporters.

Omani Foreign Minister Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah said: “We are optimistic that Syria will join the Arab League in signing the protocol, which is ready now, within 24 hours.”

“That is what we hope for. If not, the Arab League foreign ministers will meet on Wednesday to consider measures that might be taken in the future,” he said in Riyadh on Sunday afternoon, according to Reuters.

The Arab League has suspended Syria’s membership and announced sanctions over Assad’s refusal so far to sign up to its peace plan.

Arab ministers are set to meet later this week and could decide to submit their plan to the U.N. Security Council, making it a potential basis for wider international action.

The two-day Gulf meeting comes a week after Iran’s Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi held talks in Riyadh to try to calm rising tensions across the Gulf.

GCC Secretary general Abdul Latif al-Zayyani denied on Sunday any intention for “lowering the Gulf diplomatic representation in Iran.”

Bahrain has accused Iran of backing a revolt among its Muslim Shiites, while Saudi Arabia has accused Tehran of plotting to assassinate its ambassador in the United States.

The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) opposed the popular protests that ousted the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, but they helped negotiate a power transition in Yemen and backed measures against both Syria and Libya for their violent reaction to unrest.

The turmoil that hit the Middle East in 2011 also heightened oil prices, raising revenues for most Gulf states.

The GCC agreed an aid package for both Oman and Bahrain following the spring’s demonstrations but the money has not yet been paid.

“This is still being reviewed to put the mechanism in place,” Omani Finance Minister Darwish al-Balushi said, according to Reuters. “It doesn’t form part of our 2012 budget at this time.”

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi is also attending the summit and said on Sunday he hoped to secure development aid from the impoverished state’s Gulf neighbors.