Arab League Welcomes Nomination of New Iraq PM Abadi

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi on Tuesday backed the nomination of new Iraqi premier Haidar al-Abadi, joining an international chorus of approval for the sidelining of outgoing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Arabi "welcomed Iraqi President Fuad Masum's tasking of Haidar al-Abadi to form a new government," a statement said.

Later on Tuesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal welcomed al-Abadi's nomination describing it as "good news".

Sunni Saudi Arabia had strained ties with Shiite Maliki, whom it accused of creating conditions for a jihadist-led offensive by marginalizing Iraq's Sunni Arab minority.

"This is the good news I heard lately," the veteran diplomat said during a news conference in the western Saudi city of Jeddah, when asked to comment on Abadi's nomination.

Oil kingpin Saudi Arabia shares more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) of border with Iraq and has been alarmed by the jihadist offensive led by Sunni militants who have captured large swathes of its neighbor.

In June, Prince Saud warned of the risks of civil war in Iraq with unpredictable consequences for the region and blamed Maliki's "sectarian policies" for the increased violence there.

Maliki in turn accused Saudi Arabia of supporting "terrorism" in his Shiite majority country.

Maliki, whose divisive policies have been blamed for contributing to a Sunni jihadi takeover of swathes of Iraq, has insisted that he is the rightful prime minister.