Damascus  - Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr arrived in Damascus on Monday, a source in the Sadrist movement's office in the Syrian capital told the German Press Agency dpa.

The cleric, who has a broad following among poor Iraqi Shiite Muslims, was expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday afternoon, the source said, requesting anonymity.

In his talks with senior Syrian officials, al-Sadr would discuss Syrian-Iraqi relations and "the situation in Iraq after the withdrawal of US soldiers from Iraqi cities" at the end of June, the Sadrist spokesman said.

During his last visit to Damascus, in February 2006, al-Sadr urged Sunni and Shiite Muslims to set aside their differences to counter "the Western offensive against Islam and the Middle East."

"The occupation is what is causing instability in Iraq," he said in remarks widely carried by the press at the time. "The exit of the occupier will be a victory for Iraq, and not, as it is said, a victory for the terrorists."(dpa)