TEHRAN – The former Iraqi prime minister has rejected the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition as “bubbly,” saying Saudis’ goal is to deploy the coalition as a tool to threaten Iran and meddle in Syria and Iraq affairs. 

“Saudi Arabia continues to hope to form an Islamic coalition composed of 34 or 35 countries as a tool to threaten Iran and Iraq and interfere in domestic affairs of Syria and Iraq,” said Nouri al-Maliki on Saturday in an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency. 
On December 2015, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced the formation of a Saudi-led Islamic alliance to fight terrorism that would share information and train, equip and provide forces if necessary for the fight against Islamic State militants. 
However, ever since its formation, the coalition has been Saudis’ killing machine in their war on Yemen, a point referred to by the Iraqi official. 
“The coalition has only been engaged in the war on Yemen and divisions between its members have widened,” al-Maliki stressed. 
The Iraqi politician sees the life of the coalition not so lasting as Riyadh simply cannot lead a coalition which includes countries such as Egypt.
“But this will be not be an easy undertaking and it is hard to believe that Saudi Arabia can lead a coalition which features in Egypt, Sudan, and other Arab countries. I see it a futile attempt.” 

AK/PA