Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Saudis quietly go about 'business' in Iraq

By Dahr Jamail
Asia Times

".....The great irony is that while these accusations toward Tehran are supported by thin evidence, plenty of evidence does exist that another of Iraq's neighbors, US ally Saudi Arabia, is supporting resistance groups in Iraq, and intends to continue to do so.

A neighborly mess: Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia

"Saudi Arabia has both the means and the religious responsibility to intervene" in Iraq, wrote Nawaf Obaid, neo-conservative ally and a former security adviser to the Saudi government, in a shockingly frank editorial for the Washington Post last November.

He warned the Bush administration, sinking ever deeper into the quagmire of Iraq: "America must not ignore the counsel of Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States. If it does, one of the first consequences will be massive Saudi intervention to stop Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias from butchering Iraqi Sunnis."

Obaid's warning, in response to talk of a possible US withdrawal from Iraq, noted the current Saudi political stance of "I am my brother's keeper" toward fellow Sunni Arabs in Iraq. Clearly, the Saudis do not consider all Iraqis their brothers, particularly the Shi'ites......."

No comments: