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RIYADH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's prominent Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first visit here in 11 years, Al Arabiya TV reported.
A statement from al-Sadr's office called the visit a "positive breakthrough in the Saudi-Iraqi relations."
Al-Sadr was received by the Saudi Minister of State for Gulf Affairs Thamer Al-Subhan.
"We hope it is the beginning of the retreat of sectarian strife in the Arab-Islamic region," said the statement.
The visit could boost the Saudi-Iraqi ties, especially after the recent opening of two border points that had remained closed since the 1990s, the report said.
