Report: Saudi Arabia to Back Iraqi Sunnis if U.S. Troops Withdraw from Iraq

MediaLine reports that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has let President Bush know that if a war between Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites erupts as the result of an American withdrawal from Iraq, the Saudis will back the Sunnis. The message was received by Vice President Cheney when he visited Iraq two weeks ago.

Abdullah let it be known that he is unhappy with talk of American efforts to engage Iran. The Saudis and Iraqi Sunnis fear growing Iranian influence in Iraq which, when seen in the context of the Iranian nuclear program, is potentially disastrous in their eyes. A similar fear that the Iraqi army would be used against the Sunni population if Shiites gain control was recently expressed by Jordan's King Abdallah II.