BAGHDAD: Iraq’s drive to forge ties with Sunni-led Arab neighbours, who it says have shunned its Shia leadership, got a boost on Monday when Jordan’s King Abdullah II became the first leader of an Arab nation to visit since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The visit is the latest in a series of moves by Arab states that Iraqi and US officials say could improve security and counter the influence of Iran, Iraq’s Shia-led neighbour and a player here in economic, diplomatic and security matters.

The circumstances of the visit were in stark contrast to those surrounding the trip here by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in March. Abdullah’s visit was not announced in advance, there were no public appearances and he stayed just a few hours. Ahmadinejad’s arrival was trumpeted well in advance. He received a red-carpet welcome, made several public appearances and was in Iraq for two days.

The United States accuses Iran of fomenting unrest in Iraq by aiding and training Shiite militias. Both the US and Iraq have said if Sunni-led states in the region had more of a presence in Iraq, it could temper Iran’s clout.

But Arab countries have not had a good reception here. An Egyptian envoy was kidnapped and killed shortly after arriving in 2005 to represent his country. The Jordanian embassy in Baghdad was bombed in August 2003.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari called Abdullah’s visit a “bold step” and said he hoped other Arab nations follow suit. “The visit was short, however with a great political significance. It was a historic visit in my opinion,” Zebari told Iraqi television.

Zebari said Abdullah’s arrival showed that Arab nations were recognising that Iraq is “starting to rise again”.

US embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said Abdullah’s visit is “a positive sign reflecting improving conditions in Iraq”. She said the US hoped it would spur other Arab and world leaders to visit Iraq, send ambassadors here and step up cooperation with the country.

Jordan, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates are the only Sunni Arab states to name ambassadors to Iraq since the ouster of Saddam, whose Sunni dictatorship repressed Iraq’s Shia majority. Kuwait and the UAE named their ambassadors only in the last two months.

A statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s office said he hoped the visit would lead to closer relations between his nation and other regional states and improve security.

Iraqi and US officials say many of the foreign Sunni insurgents recruited by Al Qaeda in Iraq have entered via neighbouring Sunni states, and they have pressed those countries to improve border controls.

The Sunni insurgent group’s influence has diminished in recent months, but it remains active. In Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province, police said a 15-year-old girl blew herself up on Monday with more than 20 pounds of explosives inside a police station. A US military statement said one Iraqi policeman was killed, but earlier reports from Iraqi officials put the death toll at five.

On a road east of Baqouba, a roadside bomb killed five Iraqi women when it detonated near their vehicle. Diyala is an Al Qaeda stronghold where the Iraqi military last month launched an offensive against insurgents.—Dawn/ The LAT-WP News Service (c) Los Angeles Times