He did, however, assert that the Mecca accord carried the weight of Article 5 of NATO. So, framing the Mecca accord in conventional geopolitical rivalries, or calling it the Muslim Nato will be simplistic at best. Prior to the Mecca accord, Saudi Arabia assembled an international coalition of 14 nations to protect shipping in the Red Sea. The 14-member international coalition and the Mecca accord purport to protect freedom of navigation for all nations. Unfortunately, the Mecca accord does none of these things.