Iraqi PM seeks to boost ties on his first visit to Saudi Arabia

PRIME Minister, Mustafa al- Kadhimi pledged that Iraq will never become a Launchpad for attacks on Saudi Arabia during a longawaited visit to the kingdom aimed at forging closer economic and security ties. He and his delegation of senior ministers sought to further boost trade and economic cooperation with the kingdom during a daylong visit to Riyadh.

Iraq is the second- largest producer in the OPEC oil cartel, outranked only by Saudi Arabia.

In January, explosive- laden drones crashed into the main royal palace in Riyadh, with American media citing U. S officials as saying they were launched from neighboring Iraq.

Saudi officials did not publicly disclose any details on the reported attack on the sprawling al- Yamama complex, the official residence and office of King Salman as well as the main base of the royal court but the news raised alarm in a country that has frequently come under missile and drone attacks from Iran- aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen, where the Riyadh- led coalition launched a military offensive six years ago.

A relatively unknown armed group in Iraq calling itself the Righteous Promise Brigade claimed responsibility for the strike but it was considered by security experts to be a front for more entrenched Iran- backed militias.

Al- Kadhimi’s trip comes after the countries reopened their Arar land border crossing in November for the first time since Riyadh cut off diplomatic ties with Baghdad in 1990, following Iraqi ex- dictator Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait.

Aside from a discussion on border security, Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed five agreements covering financial, commercial, economic, and cultural and media fields, the Saudi- owned AlArabiya TV channel reported.