(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Gulf monarchs gathered Tuesday for an extraordinary summit amid growing international concern over the Saudi-led air war against Shia rebels in Yemen and a deepening regional threat from jihadists.
French President Francois Hollande became the first Western leader to sit in on a summit of the Sunni-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council.
The meeting is also expected to air concerns over a potential final nuclear deal with Shia Iran.
The Riyadh summit brings together leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Their formal talks are taking place in a domed meeting hall surrounded by palm trees at the sprawling Diriyah Palace complex on the edge of Riyadh.
All but Oman are in the Saudi-led coalition that launched air strikes in Yemen on March 26 against Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies who seized large parts of the country including Sanaa.
Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled to Riyadh when the rebels advanced on his southern refuge of Aden.
Anti-government forces have refused to concede territory or lay down their weapons despite international pressure.
Concern has mounted over the air strikes, which continued despite the coalition announcing late last month it was moving to a new phase.
The United Nations says at least 1,200 people have been killed in Yemen since March 19, and has repeatedly warned that the already impoverished Arabian Peninsula state faces a major humanitarian crisis.
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