Iraq blasts Saudi 'Bedouin riding a camel'

reutersalertnet:Iraq's interior minister lashed out on Sunday at a Saudi minister who voiced worries about growing Iranian influence and Shi'ite power, saying Iraq would not be lectured by "some Bedouin riding a camel".

Prince Saud al-Faisal, foreign minister of Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, made his remarks nearly two weeks ago during a visit to Washington.

"We will not allow anyone to interfere in our internal issues, regardless of their political status," Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabor, a member of the Shi'ite Islamist SCIRI party, retorted during a news conference in Amman.

"We are Iraqis and we are responsible for solving our problems, we will not allow anyone to interfere," he said. [db: erm, you are occupied my friend]

"This Iraq is the cradle of civilisation that taught humanity reading and writing, and some Bedouin riding a camel wants to teach us. This talk is totally rejected."

He proceeded to take a swipe at the Saudi monarchy, saying:

"There are regimes that are dictatorships; they have one god, he is the king, he is God of heaven and earth, and he rules as he likes. A whole country is named after a family. If we open these topics without inhibitions, it is neither to our benefit nor to theirs." Read more

db: Could there possibly be a connection between this outburst and the other statement from Bayan Jabor where he claims to have found a letter from Abu Azzam [top Zaqawi lieutenant, No 2, king-pin etc] requesting that Z send a bunch of their guys back to where they came from to wage holy war? Maybe he is trying to worry his Saudi friends.