Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi called on Monday for the creation of a unified Arab force to battle the spread of Islamic extremist groups. "There is an urgent need for the creation of a multipurpose common Arab military force... able to intervene rapidly to fight terrorism and the activities of terrorist groups," Arabi told a meeting of league foreign ministers in Cairo. He also stressed the importance of "cooperation in areas related to security protection and the exchange of information between Arab countries." Speaking at the opening session of an Arab League meeting of foreign ministers, el-Araby said "there is also a need to help in peacekeeping operations and securing humanitarian operations," he said. Arab League deputy chief Ahmed Ben Helli told reporters last week that the bloc's leaders are expected to focus on the creation of such a common force when they meet for its annual summit on March 28-29 in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He had said such a force was important as a "symbolic" show of deterrence at times of "conflict or disasters". Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has also called for such a force, saying it is needed to confront security threats in a region where the jihadist Islamic State group holds swathes of Syria and Iraq and has gained a foothold in Egypt's neighbour Libya. He has suggested that a number of Arab League members, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, are considering supporting the idea. Several Arab nations have joined the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria. It was not immediately clear which countries would join such a force or where or when it would be created. The Arab League is due to hold a summit of Arab leaders later this month in Sharm el-Sheikh. Meanwhile, The Arab League called, in a draft resolution, for strict measures to prevent the terrorists' acts across borders, and the strict implementation of Security Council Resolution 2178, which requires all countries to adhere and work on drying terrorism resources as a vital part in the operation. The draft resolution, obtained by Al-Bawaba news is criminalizing the use of irrigation facilities in the wars and acts of terrorism to maintain the integrity of dams, in addition to the management of water resources to serve humanitarian purposes and sustainable development. It also stresses the need to preserve water resources in the Arab world especially Iraq, and to support its water rights, stating that the neighboring countries (Turkey and Iran) exploitation policies of the common rivers without taking into account the rights of Iraq.
