CAIRO — The Arab League said it had postponed a meeting of Arab foreign ministers scheduled for Sunday to discuss the Syria crisis and to select a replacement for Kofi Annan, the United Nations-Arab League envoy, and would set a new date.
Deputy Arab League chief Ahmed Ben Helli told Reuters the meeting was delayed because of the minor operation undergone by Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.
The royal court said on Saturday that he had undergone a successful operation to relieve an intestinal obstruction.
Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf Arab state Qatar have been at the forefront of efforts to isolate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has used tanks and troops to try to quash a rebellion. Both states are believed to be arming Syrian rebels.
Ben Helli said the Arab ministers, who had been due to meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, would set a new date to gather.
The Arab ministers’ meeting was to have been held before Muslim leaders meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for an Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit.
