Arab foreign ministers meeting in Egypt agreed a draft resolution yesterday (March 26) to form a unified military force, in a move aimed at countering growing regional security threats.

Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa headed Bahrain's delegation at the talks, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

"The Arab ... ministers agreed on adopting an important principle, which is forming the unified Arab military force," Arab League secretary-general Nabil Elaraby said after the meeting in the resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

"The task of the force will be rapid military intervention to deal with security threats to Arab nations," he added.

The draft resolution will be referred to the Arab leaders during their summit which begins in Egypt tomorrow.

Egyptian TV reported earlier that the ministers asked Elaraby to co-ordinate with Arab armies' chiefs of staff within one month to begin forming the unified force.

The Arab League chief described the resolution as "historic".

The idea was first floated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. The 22 Arab states often have different views on how to tackle crises and calls for a unified force in the past have failed to produce tangible results.

The dangers facing the region have perhaps never seemed starker. Conflicts are intensifying in Yemen and Libya and the civil war in Syria is entering its fifth year.

Islamic State militants have taken over swathes of Iraq and Syria and spawned splinter groups across the Arab world.

The US and other major powers are seeking a final nuclear deal with Iran, in a process that worries many Arab leaders wary of Iran's growing influence in the region.

In a statement issued at the end of the talks, the ministers said they support the military procedures taken by the coalition countries, made of the GCC states and a number of Arab and Islamic counties to defend the legitimate government in Yemen in response to a call by President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The action stems from a keenness of the Arab League to secure Yemen's unity, independence and sovereignty after the GCC has done all it could to settle the crisis through peaceful means.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen thanked coalition members on behalf of his president for their rapid response to his call for military intervention to save Yemen from the claws of Houthis' millitary coup against the legitimate government.

He said the military action was met with broad popular welcome in Yemen and restored Arab people's confidence in pan-Arab joint action.

The Foreign Minister separately met his Yemeni counterpart and discussed recent development.

The Shura Council yesterday backed the Operation Decisive Storm launched to reinstate the legitimate authorities and confront the coup d'etat led by the Houthi militias.

It stressed the historic responsibilities of the countries in the region and their commitment to defend pan-Arab security against any danger which may destabilise an Arab state.

The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation backs the steps taken by the coaltion of Arab states and is monitoring the situation closely, its Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani said in Riyadh as he headed to Egypt for the Arab Summit.

He stressed that the organisaton had previouslyl warned against excesses by the Houthis. - TradeArabia News Service