unrepentant old hippie

King Abdullah speaks

One of the few allies the US has in the middle east is now distancing itself from them. The bush administration's longtime best friend in the Arab world, Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, said yesterday that the US presence in Iraq is illegal:

"The Saudi monarch has made a forceful appeal for Arab unity, denouncing US policy in Iraq and the embargo imposed by western nations on the Palestinians.

At the Arab League summit in Riyadh, King Abdullah described the US presence in Iraq as an illegitimate occupation.

Correspondents say he is seeking to show a measure of independence from Saudi Arabia's ally, the United States."

The king placed some of the blame for mid-east instability on Arab leaders, whose infighting distracts them from larger issues. He said that only by uniting could Arab nations "prevent foreign powers from drawing the region's future", and cited the war in Iraq and the ongoing oppression of Palestine as problems that would only be resolved by Arab unity.

Meanwhile, the Saudis are building a security fence to seal off the border with Iraq. I wonder if the fence is to keep people from entering Iraq via Saudi Arabia, or to keep fleeing Iraqis out. Saudi Arabia has already made it clear that in the event that the US leaves Iraq and the civil war continues, they will support the Sunnis. (The insurgents being fought by the US are mostly Sunni.) But in the long term, might this not pit Saudi Arabia against Iran? Maybe this is where the Arab unity comes in?

Well played, Georgie. Take a fucking bow.