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Riyadh woos Iraqis with security talks, economic projects

Saudi Arabia is working to reconcile with Iraq to reduce Iranian influence in the country.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud shake hands with Iraq's President Barham Salih during his visit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 18, 2018. The Presidency of the Republic of Iraq Office/Handout via REUTERS   ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1650B939B0

Falih al-Fayadh, head of the Popular Mobilization Units and Iraq's national security adviser, visited Saudi Arabia Jan. 31 in a sign of the new and improved ties between the two countries.

As Fayadh is close to Iran and widely viewed as a pro-Iran candidate for interior minister in the government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, his visit aimed to reassure Riyadh that the PMU will target neither it nor its interests in Iraq.

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