Iran's Ahmadinejad and Saudi King Abdullah meet n' greet in Riyadh

Iran's President Ahmadinejad has spent the last couple of days huddled up with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.

In view of the current `realignment' going on in the Bush Administration that involves ditching the so-called `Bush Doctrine' and proceeding along the lines of the James Baker chaired Iraq Study Group there are two ways to look at this.

The Administration's take would undoubtedly be that our `eternal friends' the Saudis are mediating for us in an attempt to negotiate a price for Iran's cooperation on Lebanon, Iran's nuclear program and of course, a peaceful and face saving exit for our troops in Iraq as we cede the country to the Iranian backed Shiites.

That may all very well be part of it, but I have a feeling that it's far from the whole story.

Given that the Saudis represent the Sunni autocracies and and Iran is the leader of the Shiite bloc and both sides know we're on the way out, I see this latest reapproachment between Iran and Saudi Arabia as an attempt to demarcate spheres of influence, feel each other out and align policy in those areas they agree on - destroying Israel, for instance. Ahmadinejad certainly warmed to this theme in a press conference in Riyadh, saying that Israel should be moved to Europe.

The jihadis may have their differences with each other, but they will come together when it comes to fighting the infidels - and this latest fantasy of the Bush Administration, that we are engaged in forming a bloc of Sunni Arab allies to confront Iran will melt before too long in the harsh light of reality.