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Representatives of the six oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council states called in a joint statement on Tuesday for a rapid political transition in war-torn Syria.

The GCC states expressed "deep sadness over the continued shedding of blood by the regime and the destruction of cities and infrastructure, making political transition a demand which must be rapidly implemented."

They also urged the international community "to make a quick and serious move to end massacres" in Syria and provide humanitarian assistance to the people.

The six states voiced their support to the international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's mission in Syria, hoping it "will help achieve agreement within the (UN) Security Council."

Brahimi, the UN and Arab League peace envoy to Syria, met with President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, describing their talks as "friendly and constructive."

The GCC states, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, also affirmed their support to the newly-formed opposition National Coalition "as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people."

More than 44,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the eruption in March 2011 of the uprising against the Syrian regime that morphed into an armed insurgency when Assad's forces unleashed a brutal crackdown on dissent.