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voanews.com

Iraqi PM: No Diplomatic Gestures to Saudis

By VOA News
28 May 2009

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says Iraq has no intention of improving relations with Saudi Arabia unless Riyadh reaches out to Baghdad.

Mr. Maliki says the Saudis have seen Iraq's previous diplomatic gestures as a sign of weakness.

Iraqi-Saudi relations have been strained since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 that toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and led to the formation of a Shi'ite-dominated government.

Saudi Arabia is a Sunni-dominated country.

Iraq has been eager to improve diplomatic ties with its Arab neighbors. But Saudi Arabia, which re-established diplomatic ties with Iraq in 2004 has yet to appoint an ambassador to Baghdad.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.



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