Confusion clouds Saudi’s 34-nation anti-IS coalition

Riyadh, December 16 

Some key members of the 34-nation anti-Islamic State coalition announced by Saudi Arabia have a fundamental question: just what is it?

Indonesia did not know it was going to be a military alliance, which it does not want to join. A senior Pakistani lawmaker only learned the news from a Reuters reporter.

And while Western governments welcomed this week's initiative, there was uncertainty over how it would work.

"We look forward to learning more about what Saudi Arabia has in mind in terms of this coalition," US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday.

Comments from several of the countries that signed up to the initiative appeared to reveal a lack of preparation by Riyadh, which approached partners with an invitation to join a coordination centre but then announced a military alliance.

When Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the new group at a sudden midnight press conference, he called it an "Islamic military coalition”, a description that appeared to surprise some of the governments involved.

Armanatha Nasir, Foreign Ministry spokesman for Indonesia, said the Saudi foreign minister had approached Jakarta twice in the past few days to ask it to join a “centre to coordinate against extremism and terrorism”.

However, "what Saudi Arabia has announced is a military alliance, ... It is thus important for Indonesia to first have details before deciding to support it," he said. Jakarta had not yet decided whether to join the group. Chief Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said later: “We don’t want to join a military alliance.”

In a Tuesday meeting with reporters, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir painted the coalition as a grouping that would allow member states to request or offer assistance among themselves in fighting groups they designate as terrorists.

Such assistance could include military force, financial aid, materiel or security expertise, Jubeir said, and would have a permanent base in the Saudi capital Riyadh. However, more detailed specifics of the plan were still under discussion. —Reuters