February 22, 2012 - 17:05 AMT
Medvedev, Saudi Arabian King discuss Syrian developments

Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that any dialogue on the Syrian crisis resolution is "useless" at the moment.

Abdullah and Medvedev held a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Feb 22 exchanging opinions on the situation in the Middle East in the light of the Syrian developments.

“Any dialogue about the situation [in Syria] is useless,” the king said, adding that Russia should have resorted earlier to coordinating efforts with Arab states before vetoing a UN Security Council resolution concerning Syria.

Earlier in the month Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria that called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Thirteen of the council’s 15 members voted in favor of the resolution to help stop the violence in Syria. Saudi Arabia is one the Arab states calling for the resignation of Assad.

Syria for almost a year is living under continuous anti-government protests. According to the UN, the total number of victims in the country has exceeded 5,400 people. The Syrian authorities said that over 2,000 military and law enforcement officials were killed in clashes with well-armed militants, RIA Novosti reported.