Saudi Arabia voiced support on Saturday to Iraq's stability and unity as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki started a Gulf tour to win backing for his reconciliation plan aimed to defuse insurgency in Iraq.

Saudi King Abdullah was quoted by the official SPA news agency as saying that Saudi Arabia was "keen on Iraq's unity, territorial integrity and safety of its citizens to regain its normal position among Arab and Muslim countries."

Abdullah made the statements during a meeting with visiting Iraqi premier Maliki in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah on Saturday night.

In a separate meeting, Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz also pledged "full support for Iraq and its constitutional government", according to SPA.

Saudi Arabia "hopes that the Iraqi government will achieve stability and security," he was quoted as saying.

Maliki, on his part, briefed the Saudi leaders during the meetings of the latest developments in Iraq, adding that his visit to Saudi Arabia was aimed to "build relations on the bonds of love. "

Maliki arrived in Jeddah earlier on Saturday.

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 exert efforts to win support from the Sunni-dominated Gulf Arab countries for his recently- proposed national reconciliation plan, which is designed to curb rampant insurgency largely backed by Sunni Arabs in Iraq.

Source: Xinhua