arab leaders meet amid saudiled yemen offensive
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

To discuss joint military force

Arab leaders meet amid Saudi-led Yemen offensive

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Arab leaders meet amid Saudi-led Yemen offensive

President Sisi giving speech during Arab summit in Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh - Arab Today

Arab leaders met in Egypt Saturday for a summit overshadowed by the Saudi-led offensive against Yemeni rebels to discuss a joint-Arab military force to confront "militant groups".
Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi hailed the intervention aimed at bringing him back to power, calling it a "practical application" of the kind of joint military action touted by Egypt's leader.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was elected after toppling his Islamist predecessor with Gulf Arab backing, has promoted his powerful army as a cornerstone of a joint Arab force.
He told the leaders of the 22-member League meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that the region faced an "unprecedented" threat, with unspecified powers and militants posing a danger to "its existence".
Foreign ministers meeting before the summit proper had already approved a proposal to establish a rapid response military force, which the leaders were set to adopt.
They "agreed on an important principle, to establish the force", Arab League secretary general Nabil al-Arabi told a news conference.
"This is the first time that a force will be created and work under the name of Arab states," he said, calling the move historic.
However, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Saturday that despite Baghdad favouring the overall concept of such a force, his country still had reservations.
He told journalists that Iraq "has reservations about the formation of this force because of the lack of a preliminary study" on its creation.
The Arab leaders continued their deliberations later Saturday behind closed doors.
The Arab force issue has come to the fore with the Saudi-led offensive against Shiite Huthi rebels who took over the Yemeni capital, and large chunks of the country's west, and are now threatening the southern port of Aden.
- Backing for Yemen offensive -
Arab states, including Egypt have strongly supported the offensive, which Saudi King Salman said would continue until the Yemeni people "enjoy security".
Hadi himself called for the campaign to end only when the Huthis "surrender".
However, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the leaders to find a peaceful resolution in Yemen.
"It is my fervent hope that at this Arab League summit, leaders will lay down clear guidelines to peacefully resolve the crisis in Yemen," he said.
Despite the support for a joint-Arab force, it would still take months to create and then operate on an ad-hoc basis.
Sisi said in a recent interview that the proposal for a joint force was welcomed especially by Jordan, which might participate alongside Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Aaron Reese, deputy research director at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, said "each of these countries would bring a different capability.
"The Jordanians are well known for their special forces capability... the Egyptians of course have the most manpower and bases close to Libya."
Before Egyptian air strikes in February targeting Daesh in Libya, the United Arab Emirates, which shares Cairo's antipathy towards Islamists, had reportedly used Egyptian bases to launch its own air strikes there.
Egypt had sought UN backing for intervention in Libya, dismissing attempted peace talks between the rival governments in its violence-plagued North African neighbour as ineffective.
The summit is being held under tight security, with extra police and army on the streets of what is normally a tourist resort and with military aircraft patrolling overhead.
The Israeli-Palestinian peace process, as in every Arab summit, also figures on the agenda, with Daesh penetration of Iraq, Syria and Libya another high priority.
Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

arab leaders meet amid saudiled yemen offensive arab leaders meet amid saudiled yemen offensive

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

arab leaders meet amid saudiled yemen offensive arab leaders meet amid saudiled yemen offensive

 



GMT 12:48 2016 Sunday ,27 November

Cilic, Dodig push Croatia to brink of Davis Cup

GMT 05:24 2017 Thursday ,28 December

Erdogan says 'terrorist' Assad cannot be part of Syria

GMT 12:59 2016 Saturday ,05 November

WB welcomes economic reforms in Egypt

GMT 18:40 2016 Saturday ,05 November

Egyptian GDRs in London down

GMT 10:57 2017 Wednesday ,06 December

Peru striker Guerrero has doping ban extended

GMT 17:51 2017 Tuesday ,07 March

Trump Signs New Travel Ban on Six Muslim Countries

GMT 10:30 2017 Wednesday ,06 September

Saudi Information Ministry praises media role during Hajj

GMT 15:29 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

Mind games really do help your brain

GMT 06:55 2015 Thursday ,01 October

Boston Red Sox beat Yankees

GMT 08:17 2017 Monday ,28 August

Bahrain celebrates World Humanitarian Day 2017

GMT 02:07 2017 Tuesday ,28 February

Opposition seeks Russian support at Syria talks
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday