Baghdad  - The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who arrived in Baghdad in a landmark visit Thursday, will hold talks with Iraqi leaders about upgrading diplomatic ties, an Iraqi foreign ministry official said.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayyid al-Nahyan will meet Iraq's president and prime minister over reviving political and economic ties, a source at Iraqi foreign ministry told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The Gulf country recalled its ambassador to Iraq after militants abducted one of its diplomats in May 2006.

The diplomat was taken captive while he was visiting a cultural centre operated by the UAE embassy in the upscale Mansur district in western Baghdad. The diplomat was released nearly two weeks later.

The abduction of the UAE diplomat came nearly a year after the killing of Egypt's ambassador-designate to Baghdad by the al-Qaeda in Iraq group in July 2005.

Both incidents dealt a blow to Arab countries' efforts to move closer towards resuming full ties with post-war Iraq.

The US has been pressing its Arab allies in the Gulf to resume ties with Baghdad.

The UAE has been one of the most supportive Arab countries to the Iraqi government, which is generally seen with skepticism by Arabs because it is perceived as accepting US occupation of the country. (dpa)