The head of the Arab League suggested establishing a joint Arab counter-terrorism force during a meeting of foreign ministers of Arab states in Cairo on Thursday. Using the Joint Defense and Economic Cooperation Treaty of 1950 as his basis for the move, Arab League Chief Nabil al Araby called for an urgent meeting of the Joint Defense Council of the Arab League to discuss the potential for forming a joint anti-terrorism military force. A number of Arab foreign ministers including UAE's FM Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Qatar's Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah arrived in Egypt late Wednesday to attend the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, which was chaired by Mauritania at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. The meeting centered around the Palestinian application to join the International Criminal Court and steps to support Palestine politically and financially following the USA's veto of the Palestinian proposal for statehood in the UN Security Council. The foreign ministers also addressed other developments in the region, including the crisis in Libya and wider security concerns amid the threat of militant groups.
