Morocco to Join Saudi-led Coalition Against Terrorism

The administration said it welcomed the new alliance. “So maybe they are preparing for that”, he said.

The prince told a rare news conference that the Riyadh-based coalition will tackle “the Islamic world’s problem with terrorism and will be a partner in the worldwide fight against this scourge”. “If countries need help they can come and request that assistance and countries that can provide that assistance can provide that assistance and it will depend on a case by case basis”, Jubeir said.

Alliance includes 34 mainly Muslim states but excludes regional rival Iran as well as Iraq and Syria. Prince Mohammed said his government’s activities in those countries would only be carried out in coordination with the “international community”.

Saudi Arabia has pledged a total of eight billion dollars in investment and aid to Egypt over the next five years, as Riyadh looks to boost military and economic ties with its ally. It is also part of the US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia has looped many more countries into a campaign of its own against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually… so coordinating efforts is very important”.

The Vienna plan set a January 1 target for peace talks and would see a transitional government set up in six months and elections in 18 months.

The new counter terrorism coalition includes nations with large and established armies such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt as well as war-torn countries with embattled militaries such as Libya and Yemen.

Details of the operational scope of the alliance have not been made clear, but “nothing is off the table”, according to Gardner.

“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been subject to criticism in Europe, and France in particular, with regard to extremism and Daesh, and I think it is based on not knowing the facts”, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday, using the Arabic name for Islamic State.

Franz Klinzevich, of the Senate’s committee on Defence and Security (and who fought for the Soviets in the Afghan war), also praised in general terms the efforts taken to form such a coalition, but also lamented the absence of Iran and Iraq saying the coalition could be used “to attain other objectives”. “Palestine will be part of this coalition after consultations with Saudi Arabia”, the statement added.

In Saudi Arabia, the proposal was quickly endorsed by the Council of Senior Scholars, the grouping of top clerics in the conservative Islamic kingdom, which issued a statement urging all other Muslim states to join the coalition. Benin is another member. Riyadh sees Assad’s removal as essential to ending the civil war, while Cairo sees that as a recipe for chaos and bloodshed in which militancy would dominate.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter welcomed the announcement after arriving at Incirlik airbase in Turkey on Tuesday at the start of a regional tour created to drum up support for the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State.

But Britain is not thought to be prepared to send ground troops to send ISIS.

Here is the list of 34 countries – Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Tunisia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia, Palestinian territories, Comoros, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania and Yemen.