UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Baghdad Thursday to hold talks with the Iraqi leaders over political developments in the region, including Iraq's relations with neighboring Kuwait, an Iraqi official television reported.

Ban, after a trip to Kuwait, was received in Baghdad airport by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, the state-run Iraqia channel said.

The UN chief is expected to meet with top Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi as well as the leaders of the parliamentary political blocs, to discuss the political developments and means to end the outstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait in accordance with the international resolutions that were issued after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The two countries recently made tangible strides that might contribute to resolving some pending issues of reparations of Saddam Hussein's invasion to Kuwait in 1990, including striking a $500-million deal to resolve a standoff with the Iraqi Airways that prevented the Iraqi planes from flying to destinations in the West.

Observers see that such moves are helpful in ending the UN sanctions (known as "Chapter 7" sanctions) imposed on Iraq after the 1990 invasion.