Joint US-GCC meeting kicks off in Doha

Proceedings of the joint meeting between the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and US secretary of State John Kerry started in the Qatari capital Doha Monday.

The Saudi Press Agency said Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair presided over the Saudi side to the meeting.

Kerry arrived in Qatar on Sunday for talks with his Gulf Arab counterparts on the next leg of a regional tour to ease allies' concerns over the Iran nuclear deal.

His visit to Qatar came after a weekend visit to Egypt, where he sought to assure his counterpart Sameh Shoukry and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that the landmark deal would bring more security to the Middle East.

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

Many Gulf Arab states have said they are concerned about Iran's regional ambitions following the accord with the United States and Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

On the sidelines of Monday's GCC gathering in Doha, Kerry is expected to hold a three-way meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir.