Joining Joint Arab Force 'Optional': Arab League Chief

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said Sunday that contribution to a proposed joint Arab force is "optional.'



"There was consensus among all Arab states to adopt the principle of the creation of joint Arab force, but it is optional for the Arab countries to participate," al-Arabi told a press conference following the end of the Arab League summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.



Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, for his part, said that a four-month timeframe was set to create the force and lay down the mechanism of its intervention and tasks.



"The more the number of participating countries, the stronger the force will be," the top Egyptian diplomat said.



"The joint force will be deployed when an Arab state comes under terrorist or foreign attack," he added.



Earlier in the day, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that Arab leaders had approved the formation of a joint military force to safeguard Arab regional security.



"[Army] chiefs of staff of Arab countries will meet to discuss the details of the joint Arab force," al-Sisi said at the closing session of the Arab summit.



Several Arab states have already joined a Saudi-led offensive which kicked off late Wednesday with a string of airstrikes against the positions of the Houthi group in Yemen, including some in capital Sanaa.



Saudi Arabia said the strikes were in response to calls by Hadi for military intervention to "save the people from the Houthi militias."



Several Gulf countries accuse Shiite Iran of supporting the Houthi insurgency.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire