Egypt calls for joint Arab force to fight IS

Egypt’s president says that the need for a joint Arab military force is growing every day as the region faces the threat of Islamic militancy.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi also says in a recorded address aired by state television that Egypt’s military has no interest in invading or attacking other nations, but will defend Egypt as well as the region “if required and in coordination with our Arab brothers.”

The Egyptian leader says both Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have offered to dispatch military forces to aid Egypt following last week’s beheading in Libya of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by Islamic State militants.

“The need for a unified Arab force is growing and becoming more pressing every day,” says el-Sissi, who took office in June.

El-Sissi’s assertion that a joint Arab military force was needed is the first public confirmation by an Arab leader that the creation of such a force was a possibility. Last November, The Associated Press reported that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait were discussing the creation of a military pact to take on Islamic militants, with the possibility of a joint force to intervene around the Middle East.

Last week, security and military officials said discussions of the plan were back on track after a hiatus, with Jordan, France, Italy and Algeria now viewed as possible additional partners.

El-Sissi lavishly praises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for their multibillion dollar aid to Egypt following Morsi’s ouster.

Their aid, he says, was “the main reason that Egypt continued to stand fast against all the challenges and difficulties it faced.” He also sought to assure his oil-rich Gulf Arab allies over audio leaks purporting to show that he and members of his inner circle wanted to milk them for every dollar.

“We must be alert to all the attempts that are designed to drive a wedge between us and our brothers,” he says, addressing his Gulf allies. “Know well that we can never insult you. We are with you in the face of all the challenges that you confront,” he says.

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