This is good news long overdue:
Saudi Arabia and Iraq plan to open the Arar border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990, when it was closed after the countries cut ties following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Saudi local media reported on Tuesday.
Good. We need to pull Iraq away from Iranian influence that flows from Iranian emphasis on pan-Shia solidarity.
But this is not good:
The Sunni-led Arab Gulf countries have hosted influential Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for talks with their crown princes in recent weeks, rare visits after years of troubled relations.
That three-time insurrectionist and all-around piece of breathing garbage, Sadr, is no force for peace in Iraq.
All Sadr wants is for the Gulf Arab states to stand down during a coup in the false hope that they have a relationship with Sadr that they can use to influence a post-coup Iraq. The Gulf Arab states are wrong.
UPDATE: The Saudis are serious about helping Iraq:
Iraq and Saudi Arabia are negotiating a new alliance that would give Riyadh a leading role in rebuilding Iraq’s war-torn towns and cities, while bolstering Baghdad’s credentials across the region.
The motive is clearly to oppose Iran, but I'll take doing the right thing for a different (good) reason.
And while I understand the motive to deal with Sadr to nullify a potentially major force to oppose the alliance, Sadr will try to use this access to the Saudis for his own evil purposes. I just don't think this three-time insurrectionist and (former!?) Iranian hand puppet can be trusted.
