Saudi King Salman welcomed Iraq’s new President Barham Saleh Sunday on his first official visit to the kingdom, amid a warming of ties between the Arab neighbours after years of strain. The king hosted a lunch and “discussed regional developments” with Saleh, the official Saudi Press Agency said, after the Iraqi leader’s arrival in Riyadh following a visit to Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival Iran. Saleh, a 58-year-old moderate Kurd elected to the largely ceremonial role last month, was on an overnight visit at the invitation of the Saudi monarch, an Iraqi official said.
