JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Saudi King Abdullah congratulated Haider al-Abadi on his nomination as Iraq's new prime minister, the state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday, a gesture of Riyadh's eagerness to see the departure of his predecessor Nuri al-Maliki.
In a congratulatory message sent to Abadi, SPA said the king called on "God Almighty to grant you success ... in restoring cohesion" among the Iraqi people and "preserving Iraq's unity and achieving its security, stability and development".
(Reporting by Angus McDowall; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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