Saudi Arabia Backs Mubarak

Dictators have to stick together: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud denounced Egyptian demonstrators in a statement Saturday, calling them "infiltrators" who "in the name of freedom of expression, have infiltrated into the brotherly people of Egypt, to destabilize its security." Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been strong allies, and both have close relationships with the United States. King Abdullah's statement suggested that his regime wanted to make clear that it would not tolerate similar dissent in its own borders, where the House of Saud has used its oil wealth to insulate its population from some of the economic malaise stirring up discord in other Middle Eastern nations. Meanwhile, Iran announced its support for the demonstrations, little surprise since its Shiite-led government has always been at odds with Mubarak.