WASHINGTON, August 12 (RIA Novosti) – US Secretary of State John Kerry has welcomed the nomination of Haider Abadi, the deputy speaker of Iraqi parliament, as prime minister-designate, his press office says.
“This signifies the successful completion of the third step in Iraq’s constitutionally mandated government formation process, following the election of the Speaker of Parliament and the election of the President of the Republic in July,” Kerry said in a statement.
Kerry said it was important to form a government of national unity now, a commitment, the White House believes, current Prime Minister Nouril Maliki has been unable to deliver on.
“The United States applauds President Masum’s fulfillment of his constitutional duties and urges the Prime Minister-designate to form a government that is representative of the Iraqi people and inclusive of Iraq’s religious and ethnic identities,” the statement read.
The US Secretary of State also pledged continued support to Iraq’s democratic process and said it would “stand with the Iraqi people in their fight against terrorism.”
US President Barack Obama earlier authorized airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) military targets in northern Iraq. He is due to give a statement on the situation in Iraq at 20:45 GMT.
