Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki arrived in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah on Saturday on an official visit, according to reports reaching here.

Maliki, heading a high-ranking delegation comprising ministers of communications, defense, electricity and oil, held talks after arrival with senior Saudi officials over security issues, according to the report.

The Iraqi prime minister is due to meet with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz later in the day.

Saudi Arabia is the first leg of Maliki's Gulf tour, which will also take him to the United Arab Emirates and then Kuwait.

It is Maliki's first foreign trip since he became Iraq's premier on May 20.

Maliki, a Shiite, is expected to inform leaders of the Sunni- dominated Gulf Arab countries of the latest developments in Iraq and exert efforts to win support for his recently-proposed national reconciliation plan, which is designed to curb rampant insurgency largely backed by Sunni Arabs in the country.

Source: Xinhua