Saudi Arabia will protect Sunnis in full-blown civil war, says Saudi adviser

"Both the Sunni insurgents and the Shiite death squads are to blame for the current bloodshed in Iraq. But while both sides share responsibility, Iraqi Shiites don't run the risk of being exterminated in a civil war, which the Sunnis clearly do. Since approximately 65 percent of Iraq's population is Shiite, the Sunni Arabs, who make up a mere 15 to 20 percent, would have a hard time surviving any full-blown ethnic cleansing campaign.
. . . If a phased troop withdrawal does begin, the violence will escalate dramatically.
In this case, remaining on the sidelines would be unacceptable to Saudi Arabia. To turn a blind eye to the massacre of Iraqi Sunnis would be to abandon the principles upon which the kingdom was founded. It would undermine Saudi Arabia's credibility in the Sunni world and would be a capitulation to Iran's militarist actions in the region." *

footnote
* By Nawaf Obaid, "an adviser to the Saudi government. . . . The opinions expressed here are his own and do not reflect official Saudi policy."

source
The Washington Post. Stepping Into Iraq: Saudi Arabia Will Protect Sunnis if the U.S. Leaves. November 29, 2006.

posted: saturday, december 2, 2006, 3:09 AM ET
update: saturday, december 2, 2006, 4:29 AM ET