Mullahstan (Iran) being part of an ARAB military force? It even hurts my eyes reading that sentence. Is this a complete joke? You know such comments are to be expected on PDF whenever foreigners are around but come on. What is next? Zimbabwe? Papua New Guinea? Iceland? Latvia?
A salute to our heroes liberating Yemen
Khalaf Ahmad al Habtoor
On Thursday, I awoke to news that brought peace of mind and filled my heart with pride, feelings I’m certain are shared by my Emirati compatriots and nationals of GCC states, and all dignified Arabs. Finally, we have taken command of our own destiny and control of our own security. For many decades, I’ve been longing for this very moment. Just when Yemen was going the way of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq – all Arab countries under Iranian domination via proxies – the tide is turning in our favour as I write.
It goes without saying that conflict should always be a last option, but there can be no meaningful dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran, a nation with ambitions of reinstating the Persian Empire and quashing Arabs under its boot, just as it has stamped upon Sunnis and ethnic/religious minorities in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq as well as the long-suffering Ahwazi Arabs.
Perhaps Iran can succeed in pulling the wool over the eyes of the P5 +1 whose representatives are negotiating over Tehran’s uranium enrichment program, but it cannot con its Gulf neighbours, who’ve fallen foul of Iran’s tricks time and time again.
There should be no stopping until Yemen is cleansed of pro-Iranian traitors and the legitimate government is reinstated in the capital, Sana’a. There should be no concessions made to the Shiite Houthi militias; those Iranian operatives have forfeited the right to call themselves ‘Arab’. They are betrayers deserving of the severest of punishments.
Ultimate betrayal
Fighters who choose to surrender do not merit trials; they should be shipped to their ideological motherland, Iran. Their actions - dissolving parliament, ejecting the democratically-elected president, taking over government buildings and terrorising Yemenis from north to south - constitute the ultimate betrayal.
I’ve observed Iran’s ideological and geopolitical expansion with great sorrow - and have long feared that without strong actions to thwart Iran’s aims, Gulf States risk being targeted next. But now that Saudi Arabia has launched “Operation Decisive Storm” together with its Gulf allies in Yemen’s defence at the request of the internationally-recognised government led by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, I feel that a positive new page has been turned. This is what we have been hoping-for; this is what our people want.
Militias who make obeisance to the ayatollahs and have made armed incursions into Saudi Arabia cannot be permitted control over Yemen’s airplanes, missiles, tanks and other military equipment. And neither can they be trusted not to hold siege to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that not only connects the Red sea with the Indian Ocean but is also a link to the Suez Canal.
We don’t require a green light from anyone to defend our land
Kudos to those GCC leaders who were courageous enough to take the right decisions! History will record this brave stance you have taken to defend Yemen’s sovereignty and our region’s security. Today, we have leaders willing to lead rather than follow diktats from big powers. Your names will be engraved on monuments and will remain in the hearts of our children and grandchildren. Bravo! May God help you always to do what is best for our Arab nation!
Defensive military intervention
‘Decisive Storm’ is the perfect name for this defensive military intervention taken by the descendants of some of the greatest Arab leaders beginning with the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), whose victorious mantel was adopted by the second Muslim Caliph Omar ibn Al-Khattab, commander of the Muslim armies who defeated Khosrau, King of Persia and Heraclius, the Byzantine Emperor.
We are showing Iran and the world that we will no longer bury our heads in the sand while keeping up the pretence that all is well. We are displaying our strength with a massive show of military might thanks also to staunch backing from our allies – Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Morocco and Pakistan, which have all pledged to contribute to this righteous battle. Thank you to all our friends who didn’t hesitate to stand with their Yemeni brothers in their hour of need.
It is my hope that the Arab League Summit to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh on March 28-29 will be just as decisive in its backing of a Joint Arab Force able to tackle any emergency in our part of the world. We can no longer rely on our western allies to do the job for us, especially when their foreign policies are muddled and incoherent. The U.S. is courting Iran in Switzerland and sharing intelligence with the Iranian military supposedly ‘advising’ the Iraqi Army in its campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), even as it supports the Syrian opposition battling Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah defending the criminal Assad regime.
I must admit that I’ve been irritated watching Western and Arab analysts discuss Yemen on various television networks. Invariably, presenters all ask the same question: Was ‘Decisive Storm’ launched with approval from the Obama administration? What kind of question is that?
Treated like underage children
We don’t require a green light from anyone to defend our land, the safety of our peoples or our collective dignity. As a nation of 367 million, acknowledged as the birthplace of civilisation, we resent being treated like underage children. We neither need nor should seek permission from anyone.
It is my fervent hope that once Yemen is delivered from the Houthi epidemic, this Saudi-led coalition made-up of ten likeminded countries will be preserved and will turn its attention of freeing Iraq from Persian occupation. Iraq must be ruled by loyal Arabs, whether Sunni or Shiite, not those on bended knee to a foreign state working against Arab interests.
And, God willing, the day will come when our beloved Lebanon and Syria will no more be enslaved to Iran’s bullying proxies, provided our leaders keep up this historic patriotic impetus. If we don’t free our Arab territories from the silent diseases tearing them apart, the peoples of the Gulf and those of our allies will remain in constant danger.
Lastly, I must congratulate our GCC leaders. You have made us proud. Your firm action permits us to hold our heads high; I pray that you will continue to defend our nation, our independence and our dignity. And to our armed forces, especially our pilots that risk their lives during every mission, I wish you every success. Keep safe and may God strengthen you in your task of protecting our Arab soil, our Yemeni brothers and sisters and our honour.
-------------------------------
Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor is a prominent UAE businessman and public figure. He is Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group - one of the most successful conglomerates in the Gulf. Al Habtoor is renowned for his knowledge and views on international political affairs; his philanthropic activity; his efforts to promote peace; and the has long acted as an unofficial ambassador for his country abroad.
Writing extensively on both local and international politics, he publishes regular articles in the media and has released a number of books.
Al-Habtoor began his career as an employee of a local UAE construction firm and in 1970 established his own company, Al Habtoor Engineering. The UAE Federation, which united the seven emirates under the one flag for the first time, was founded in 1971 and this inspired him to undertake a series of innovative construction projects – all of which proved highly successful.
Last Update: Friday, 27 March 2015 KSA 09:53 - GMT 06:53
Search on "
A salute to our heroes liberating Yemen" (I cannot post links yet)
Spot on article. Beautiful.
@Gasoline @Mosamania @BLACKEAGLE @azzo @Kamal_dbk @Frogman @Mahmoud_EGY @Mootaz-khelifi @Tunisian Marine Corps @Falcon29 @ebray @Full Moon
This is limited to the GCC. We are talking about the Arab world in its entirety or at least most of it. I think that only Algeria and Iraq would be against it due to their warm ties with Russia (Algeria) and the Mullah's but eventually they would join too as they are Arab nations too and active members of the Arab League and have close bilateral relations with the Arab world.
We all need to be onboard on this regardless of political differences and alliances as we are all part of the Arab world and participants of the region whether we like it or not. Success or problems impact us all and we need to work together to solve common problems. No other way. Difference of opinion can be a strength if used in the right way. The governments/regimes/leaders need to do that a bit better than in earlier times. The new generation and the upcoming ones will hopefully have learned from the mistakes of their forefathers.
Arabs inch closer to old dream of joint Arab force
Mar. 27, 2015 2:26 AM ET
By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Arab leaders meeting this weekend in this Egyptian Red Sea resort are moving closer than ever to creating a joint Arab military force, a sign of a new determination among Saudi Arabia, Egypt and their allies to intervene aggressively in regional hotspots, whether against Islamic militants or spreading Iranian power.
Creation of such a force has been a longtime goal that has eluded Arab nations in the 65 years since they signed a rarely used joint defense pact. And there remains reluctance among some countries, particularly allies of Iran like Syria and Iraq — a reflection of the divisions in the region.
Foreign ministers gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh ahead of the summit, which begins Saturday, agreed on a broad plan for the force. It came as Saudi Arabia and its allies opened a campaign of airstrikes in Yemen against Iranian-backed Shiite rebels who have taken over much of the country and forced its U.S.- and Gulf-backed president to flee abroad.
The Yemen campaign marked a major test of the new policy of intervention by the Gulf and Egypt. The brewing Yemen crisis — and Gulf fears that the rebels are a proxy for Iranian influence — have been one motivator in their move for a joint Arab force. But it also signaled that they are not going to wait for the Arab League, notorious for its delays and divisions, and will press ahead with their military coordination on multiple fronts.
Egyptian officials said the Yemen airstrikes are to be followed by a ground intervention to further weaken the rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies and force them into negotiations. They have also moved ahead with action in Libya after its collapse into chaos since 2011 and the rise of militants there — including now an affiliate of the Islamic State group that has overrun much of Iraq and Syria. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have both carried out airstrikes against Libyan militants in the past year.
In their agreement Thursday, the foreign ministers called on the chiefs of staff of the Arab League's 22-member nations to meet within a month to iron out details of the force, like its budget and mechanism, and report back to the organization.
The Egyptian military and security officials said the proposed force would be made of up to 40,000 elite troops and will be headquartered in either Cairo or Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The force would be backed by jet-fighters, warships and light armor. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Arab league officials said some Arab nations had reservations about the creation of a joint force, including Iraq, whose foreign minister, Ibrahim a-Jaafari, has counselled fellow ministers that more time was needed for planning. Iran holds massive influence with Iraq's Shiite-led government and its military advisers are playing an active role in the fight by government troops and allied Shiite militias against militants of the Islamic State.
The Associated Press exclusively reported last November that the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, all Sunni Muslim nations, were discussing the creation of a joint military alliance with a possible joint force to deal with the threat posed by Islamic militants in Libya and to combat the growing influence of Shiite, non-Arab Iran, particularly in Yemen. Jordan and Bahrain have since expressed their willingness to join the alliance.
Egypt's president, soldier-turned-politician Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, was the first Arab leader to speak publicly about the plan. In a recent address, he said there was a pressing need now for a joint Arab force and repeated his assertion that Egypt was prepared to intervene militarily in support of its Gulf Arab allies. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have poured billions of dollars into Egypt's emptying coffers since el-Sissi ousted Mohammed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against the rule of the Islamist president.
"The resolution sends a clear message that Arab nations can agree on a plan to defend themselves," Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby told a news conference late Thursday in Sharm el-Sheikh. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri said the proposed force would undertake "quick and effective missions."
Saudi Arabia, a staunch U.S. ally, views Yemen as strategically important to its national security and has traditionally patronized key players there like top politicians, military commanders and tribal chiefs to protect its interests. It fought a brief border war against the Houthis in 2009. Similarly, Egypt views neighboring Libya as vital to its own national interests. Last month, Egyptian warplanes struck Islamic State positions in eastern Libya in retaliation for its mass beheading of 21 Coptic Christian Egyptians.
Thursday's resolution, however, will streamline military actions like those undertaken by the Egyptians and Saudis in Libya and Yemen respectively, allowing future actions to be carried out under Arab League cover. El-Sissi's calls for a U.N.-backed force to intervene in Libya were stymied by the West on the grounds that more time should be given to U.N.-led efforts to reconcile Libya's rival governments.
Egyptian forces have recently concluded large-scale war games near its border with Libya. Codenamed "Thunder," the exercise involved navy warships, attack helicopters and beach landings by army commandos.
Moreover, Egypt and its Gulf Arab allies have over the past year held a series of joint war games, including several in the Red Sea, a tactic that the Egyptian officials said was necessary to create harmony between members of the proposed force.
Already, the officials said, Egyptian troops are embedded with Saudi forces on the kingdom's border with Iraq, about a third of which is controlled by the Islamic State. Egyptian military advisers are also deployed near Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen. As the crisis in Yemen worsened, Egypt has coordinated efforts with Sudan and Horn of Africa nation Eritrea to ensure the safety of shipping through the southern Bab al-Mandab entrance of the Red Sea, which Yemen overlooks.
