SUNGAI BULOH, Dec 18 – Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein will visit Saudi Arabia in January to discuss the alliance of 34 Muslim nations against terrorism. He said the visit would serve as a show of Malaysia’s support for peace, and agreement that Muslim countries should unite to fight terrorism.
Hishammuddin, however, said that there would, for the time being, be no decision on military commitment from Malaysia. He added that he would meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Salman, who is Defence Minister, to discuss efforts to combat terrorism in countries like Iraq and Syria.
“The discussion will focus on how to handle threats by IS (Islamic State) militants. I would invite his counterparts in ASEAN to support the alliance. It is necessary for countries to support this fight against terrorism,” Hishammuddin told a press conference here Thursday.
In the meantime, the international media also reported on Tuesday that the Saudi Arabia had announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism. Among the countries mentioned were Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
