Moqtada Al Sadr, the powerful Iraqi cleric, has been received by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the latest meeting between senior Iraqi and Saudi figures.
The visit was his first in 11 years and comes after Iraq’s interior minister and prime minister held meetings in the kingdom in recent weeks.
Shortly after Mr Al Sadr's arrival in Jeddah on Sunday, he was met by the Saudi minister of state for Gulf affairs, Thamer Al Subhan.
"We have been very pleased with what we found to be a positive breakthrough in the Saudi-Iraqi relations, and we hope it is the beginning of the retreat of sectarian strife in the Arab-Islamic region," a statement from Mr Al Sadr's office said.
The Shiite cleric, who comes from a powerful line of religious figures, commands huge support in Iraq, leading vast protests against government.
His Saudi visit is the latest sign of an improvement in relations between the two countries, which have a trouble tempestuous past.
Despite their troubles, Saudi Arabia has always expressed its support for the Iraqi government in its efforts to fight terrorism.
Mr Al Sadr’s visit comes less than two weeks after interior minister Qasim Al Araji met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin.
Prime minister Haider Al Abadi also visited the kingdom last month to improve relations.
Earlier in the year, Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir headed to Baghdad for talks with Mr Al Abadi, the first such visit since 2003.
Despite the visits, Saudi Arabia is concerned about Iran’s influence in Iraq, particularly through the Shiite paramilitary force, known as the Hashed Al Shaabi, which has played a major role in fighting ISIL.
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Yahya Nader, Ahmed Barman, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
