MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, local media reported that Saudi Arabia had set up a 34-member coalition to counteract terrorism.
"The kingdom should have picked a new position through the creation of this coalition… It can no longer be on its old position of open support of terrorist organizations. This initiative could be relatively successful but it will not work in the long run," Khalid Abboud said.
15 December 2015, 00:04 GMT
Besides Saudi Arabia, the alliance includes Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Somalia, Guinea, the Palestinian National Authority, the Union of the Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Maldives, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Yemen.
Ten other Islamic countries have expressed their support for the newly created coalition.
Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly accused of funding terrorism, both by countries in the region and some Western lawmakers.
