Ukraine in Arabic | USA: The formation of Iraqi government is a major milestone for the country
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ President Barack Obama welcomed new leadership in Iraq as "a promising step forward" Monday amid a political and security crisis in Baghdad, saying the only lasting solution is the formation of an inclusive government.
Obama pointedly did not mention Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki but clearly was nudging the incumbent clinging to power to step aside as he urged Iraqi political leaders to work peacefully through a political transition.
"The United States stands ready to support a government that addresses the needs and grievances of all Iraqi people," Obama said.
Iraq's parliament had, earlier on Monday, approved the new government, which includes Sunnis and Kurds. The newly-elected Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shia, was asked to form a government in August after the resignation of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Saleh al-Mutlak, a Sunni, and Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, were named deputy prime ministers, while Maliki was given the largely ceremonial post of vice president.
"Overcoming the obstacle of ethnic and sectarian divides, the Iraqi parliament approved a new and inclusive government…Now is the time for Iraq’s leaders to govern their nation with the same vision and sense of purpose that helped to bring this new government together in the first place," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday.
Kerry’s statements came ahead of his scheduled trip to the Middle East on Tuesday to build what he called the "broadest possible coalition of partners around the globe to confront, degrade, and ultimately defeat ISIL (Islamic State)."
"I want to underscore that almost every single country on Earth has a role to play in eliminating the ISIL threat and the evil that it represents," Kerry said, adding that the coalition would be "built to endure for the months and perhaps even the years to come."
