Kerry urges ‘all of our efforts’ for Syria cessation of hostilities

MANAMA: US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Thursday for all efforts to be applied to maintain the cessation of hostilities in Syria and build momentum for peace talks.

"We will need to apply all of our efforts in order to maintain not only the cessation of hostilities but to build some possible momentum in the negotiations themselves," Kerry said in a statement after talks with his foreign ministers from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Manama.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said in a separate statement that Gulf Arab states rejected the intervention of Iran into the affairs of the GCC states and what he called its attempts to smuggle weapons into some GCC states.

"If Iran continues its aggressive policies and continues to intervene into the affairs of the GCC states, it will be difficult to deal with Iran," he added.