‘AUSTRALIA CAN HELP WITH KING SALMAN CENTRE’
Canberra can share its experience in dealing with Islamic State, says Hisham
MELISSA DARLYNE CHOW KUALA LUMPUR news@nst.com.my
THE Defence Ministry yesterday expressed hope to see Australia help the initiative by Malaysia and Saudi Arabia to set up the King Salman Centre for International Peace.
Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had taken interest in the plan during her courtesy call yesterday afternoon.
“I told her about the plan to set up the centre as a counter narrative to the Islamic State. It will see an exchange of intelligence involving academia, universities, scholars and the public to win the hearts and minds of those influenced by IS and its propaganda.
“Australia has dealt with IS and its influence. I hope Australia can contribute to what we are doing with Saudi Arabia,” he said after Bishop’s courtesy call at the Parliament building here.
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia had said the centre’s establishment would involve a collaboration between the Intellectual Warfare Centre under Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry; Security and Defence Centre under Malaysia’s Defence Ministry; the Islamic Science University of Malaysia; and, the Muslim World League.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had announced that the two governments had agreed to establish the centre in Malaysia, which would focus on combatting extreme narratives.
On the meeting with Bishop, Hishammuddin said they talked about how to ensure MalaysiaAustralia relations could be better utilised to face threats, especially IS.
“The ties that go way back need to not just be defended, but further boosted.
“We talked about military to military joint exercises and sharing of intelligence on new threats.
“We also discussed foreign and military diplomacy on how we, between militaries, can scale the new threats,” he said, adding that it was a very good meeting and he was satisfied with it.
Later, he held a meeting with Somalia Deputy Prime Minister Mohamad Omar Arte.