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| Jordan's king in first Iraq visit | Jordan's king in first Iraq visit |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| King Abdullah of Jordan has become the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq since the US-led invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein in 2003. | King Abdullah of Jordan has become the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq since the US-led invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein in 2003. |
| A statement by the Iraqi government said he had held talks with Prime Minister Nouri Maliki in Baghdad. | A statement by the Iraqi government said he had held talks with Prime Minister Nouri Maliki in Baghdad. |
| "They discussed the progress made in Iraq, and especially the great success achieved by the government of Iraq in the security file," it said. | "They discussed the progress made in Iraq, and especially the great success achieved by the government of Iraq in the security file," it said. |
| A planned visit by the Jordanian king to Iraq was cancelled last month. | A planned visit by the Jordanian king to Iraq was cancelled last month. |
| Diplomatic sources in Amman were quoted at the time saying July's visit had been postponed for security reasons. | Diplomatic sources in Amman were quoted at the time saying July's visit had been postponed for security reasons. |
| Monday's visit had not been reported prior to King Abdullah's arrival in Baghdad. | Monday's visit had not been reported prior to King Abdullah's arrival in Baghdad. |
| Sunni-Shia rivalry | |
| Jordan sent its prime minister to Baghdad in September 2005, which was also a first by since the fall of Saddam Hussein. | |
| Observers say many of the mainly Sunni Muslim-ruled Arab states, which include Jordan, have been wary of the rise of Shia Muslim power and Iranian influence in post-Saddam Iraq. | |
| Jordan is a recipient of US financial aid, and upgrading and improving ties with the Baghdad government has long been a US request to its allies in the region. | |
| It is one of a few Arab countries to have named an ambassadors to Baghdad, although the appointee has not taken up his post. | |
| Jordan was an ally of Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and initially supported Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait in 1991. |