Pakistan welcomes Saudi-led alliance to combat terrorism

Saudi Arabia said Thursday that five Muslim countries including Egypt and Pakistan want to participate in the Gulf-led military coalition against Houthi rebels who have seized large swathes of Yemen.

There was muted reaction from Washington, with White House spokesman Josh Earnest saying the alliance wouldn’t be a replacement for the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS.

The spokesman said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy close, cordial and brotherly relations and added that both countries condemn terrorism and cooperate in the efforts to eliminate this menace.

He said Pakistan in principle had never joined any military alliance without United Nations backing. Other Gulf states are also in that coalition but the US Air Forces Central Command chief, Lieutenant General Charles Q. Brown, said last month that Gulf strikes in Syria have diminished since they began action in Yemen. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have, however, assumed the main roles in that coalition.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said on Wednesday that Indonesia was not among the 34 countries that had supported or signed-up to the military coalition, since the government had not yet seen the details of the coalition’s scope of cooperation and terms of reference so could not decide its position.

When asked if this meant the alliance would also counter Shiite militants, the Saudi defense minister replied the coalition would fight terrorist groups “regardless of their categorization”, particularly in Syria and Iraq, where he said there will be cooperation with the global community.

The list of coalition countries included Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia.

Al-Jubeir expected the number countries who will join the new alliance to increase.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Moscow to discuss with Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov preparing the ground for a third round of talks of world powers on Syria, pencilled in for Friday in NY. Saudi Arabia has done the same in past when the name of Pakistan was mentioned as Saudi ally against Yemen without consulting Pakistan.

He said the development highlights Oman’s policy of “permanent neutrality”.

Speaking of a “disease” that has “affected the Islamic world”, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman said that the new coalition underscores “the Islamic world’s vigilance in fighting” the scourge of terrorism.

Syria has been battling IS and other militants with the help of Iran and Russian Federation.

Bin Salman says this coalition will “any terrorist organisation, not just ISIL” in countries including Iraq, Syria.