Turkey to send Mecca pact to parliament, opening path to Saudi deployment

ANKARA — The Turkish government will submit the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to parliament in “a few days,” Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkey’s ruling party, said Wednesday, in a move that would kick off a ratification process to pave the way for a possible Turkish troop deployment to the kingdom.Deal heads to parliament: “The Foreign Ministry has largely completed its work on the agreement,” Celik told reporters in Ankara. “With the preparations now at an advanced stage, the agreement is expected to be sent to parliament within the next few days,” he added.The comments came after officials from the three countries agreed on Monday to provide forces and military hardware for rapid deployment to Saudi Arabia following an emergency meeting in Riyadh amid ongoing attacks on the kingdom by the Iran-backed Houthis.Earlier Wednesday, the Iran-backed group claimed to have attacked several targets in Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Abha International Airport and an air base in Khamis Mushait.