Kuala Lampur, Aug. 31 -- The first meeting under the Mecca Accord between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan should not be treated as another diplomatic gathering destined to disappear into the crowded calendar of West Asian diplomacy.

Its timing is important.

As tensions across West Asia intensify, the three countries are beginning the difficult process of converting a political declaration into an operational security arrangement.

The meeting in Istanbul brings together not merely the foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, but also their defence ministers and military chiefs.

That composition tells us something important. The Mecca Accord is moving from diplomatic symbolism towards strategic coordination.

At its cor...