RISING TENSIONS ACROSS GULF

The two-day Gulf meeting comes a week after Iran's Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi held talks in Riyadh to try to calm rising tensions across the Gulf.Bahrain, the Gulf nation worst hit by protests this year, has accused Iran of backing a revolt among its Shi'ite Muslim majority that called for democratic change, while Saudi Arabia has accused Tehran of plotting to assassinate its ambassador in the United States. Classic Short Ugg BootsThe six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council opposed the popular protests that ousted the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, but they helped negotiate a power transition in Yemen and backed measures against both Syria and Libya for their violent reaction to unrest.Of the GCC members, only Bahrain and Oman suffered major protests. Saudi Arabia, the largest GCC country by size and population, distributed $110 billion in social benefits that helped it ward off protests except among its Shi'ite minority.The turmoil that hit the Middle East in 2011 also heightened oil prices, raising revenues for most Gulf states.The GCC agreed an aid package for both Oman and Bahrain following the spring's demonstrations but the money has not yet been paid."This is still being reviewed to put the mechanism in place," UGG Ultra Short Omani Finance Minister Darwish al-Balushi said. "It doesn't form part of our 2012 budget at this time."Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi is also attending the summit and said on Sunday he hoped to secure development aid from the impoverished state's Gulf neighbors.