Saudi Arabia on March 7 called for an end to the ongoing bloody violence in Libya – which started on February 15 – in order to save the lives of Libyans and safeguard the country’s territorial integrity. The Council of Ministers, presided over by King Abdullah, also urged the Libyan authorities to allow distribution of relief supplies among the country’s strife victims.The Cabinet expressed its concern over the worsening security situation in some Arab and Islamic coun...

Oman’s ruler dissolved the office overseeing economic affairs on March 7 in a concession to a key demand of protesters calling for more jobs and political openness. Sultan Qaboos also fired several ministers as part of the third high-level reshuffle in the past 10 days attempting to calm the protests. Foreign ministers from six Gulf nations met in Abu Dhabi with the region’s political upheavals atop the agenda, including a major uprising against Bahrain’s monarchy and calls ...

Bahrain’s crown prince warned all sides against escalating a standoff with the opposition seeking an elected government in the country, asking for patience ahead of a national dialogue. Bahrain suffered its worst unrest since the 1990s last month when seven people died in a heavy-handed security response to protests by opposition groups. Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, tapped to lead a dialogue with the opposition, said the protests would continue to be allowed but must...

Yemen’s opposition coalition on March 7 vowed to escalate protests that have swept the country demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, after he rejected a plan that would have him step down in 2011. Tens of thousands of protesters are camped out in major Yemeni cities, staying awake through the night to hear speeches and sing national songs, as their tone against Saleh hardens. Saleh rejected a plan proposed by an opposition coalition last week, which would have imple...