Jordan's King in Flying Visit to Iraq

King Abdullah of Jordan became the first Arab head of state to visit Baghdad since the 2003 invasion yesterday, responding to US pressure to normalise ties with the Shia-dominated Iraqi government.

The king, a close ally of Washington, went straight into talks with the prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, though the symbolism of the meeting was more important than the substance. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, visited Baghdad in March, but Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbors have been slow to come to terms with post-Saddam realities.

Premature publicity caused Abdullah to postpone a visit planned for last month. Jordan has also announced that it is returning its ambassador to Baghdad, as have several small Gulf states. "The parties discussed the progress made by Iraq and especially that of the Iraqi government's success in security and future reconstruction projects," said a joint statement.

Abdullah's visit - lasting less than four hours - was agreed during a visit to Amman by Maliki in June to renew a 2006 agreement to sell discounted oil to his cash-strapped neighbor, which relies on Iraq for most of its fuel needs.

Washington has been pressing its Arab allies, notably the regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, to write off Iraqi debt and send their envoys back to Baghdad.

But Sunni suspicions have been slow to fade. In 2004, Abdullah famously warned against the emergence in Iraq of a pro-Iranian government that would be part of a "Shia crescent" linking Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon - a blunt formulation the normally careful king came to regret.