capital, Doha, in an effort to reach what it called "serious results and an exit to the Syrian crisis." The ministers had earlier warned Assad to stop the bloodshed and start meaningful reforms or face an international intervention, the Kuwaiti daily Al-Qabas reported. China -- a long-standing Syrian ally which recently vetoed tougher action against the regime at the UN Security Council -- threw its weight behind the mediation effort. Its Middle East envoy, Wu Sike, said he had told Assad in Damascus on Thursday that his regime's deadly crackdown on dissent "cannot continue."