France, Dec. 19 -- Egypt revived the proposal during an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, held less than a week after Israeli strikes hit the Qatari capital on 9 September.

Cairo suggested uniting the armed forces of the 22 member states of the Arab League into a single alliance, with pooled resources, rotating leadership, a civilian secretary-general and consultations among members before any use of force.

At the same time, the Gulf Cooperation Council - made up of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar - said it intended to activate a clause in its joint defence agreement signed in 2000, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.

Speaking at the summit on 15 September, Pakistan's D...