Gulf urges intervention to 'rescue' Syrians

The Gulf Cooperation Council urged the international community Saturday to intervene immediately to "rescue" the Syrian people from their government's "oppression".

"The genocide, and grave human rights violations, faced by the Syrian people necessitate an immediate intervention by the international community," GCC secretary general Abdullatif al-Zayani said.

The intervention would aim to "rescue the brotherly Syrian people from the oppression of its regime, and bring its suffering to an end," a statement added.

The call comes as US President Barack Obama awaits a vote by the Congress over his request to back his plan to strike Syria over an alleged use of chemical weapons.

"The Syrian regime is fully responsible for what is happening in Syria, for rejecting all attempts to solve the crisis, and continuing to practice killing and destruction, including the use of chemical weapons," Zayani said.

Gulf nations support international measures to "deter the Syrian regime from committing its inhumane practices," he added.

The GCC consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia -- the bloc's heavyweight, has been pushing for a US-led strike on Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.