King Abdullah of Jordan has become the first Arab leader to visit Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, a landmark step towards reducing Baghdad's isolation among its Sunni Arab neighbours.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office released television footage showing the king embracing members of the Iraqi cabinet lined up to greet him today. King Abdullah and Mr Maliki walked hand in hand along a corridor before sitting down for talks.
Washington has urged Iraq's Arab neighbours to do more to embrace Baghdad, whose Shi'ite-led government complains it gets the cold shoulder in an overwhelmingly Sunni-led Arab world.
"The king of Jordan took a bold step when he visited Iraq today," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said in a television interview following King Abdullah's visit. "We expect other Arab countries to move in this direction."
In a statement released after he returned to Amman, Abdullah said other Arab countries should extend a hand to Iraq.
Abdullah and Maliki discussed the improving security conditions in Iraq, where violence has dropped to four-year lows, and Iraq's efforts to rebuild after five years of bloodshed, Mr Maliki's office said in a statement.
"The prime minister expressed his hope that this visit will open a new page in the relations between the two countries ... and strengthen security and stability in Iraq and the entire region," the statement said.
Reuters