WASHINGTON  - US President Barack Obama and King of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday called on Iraqi leaders to move expeditiously to form a new government that unites all diverse communities of Iraq.
Obama called King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia to convey his best wishes on the advent of the holy month of Ramazan. The two leaders also discussed the current situation in Iraq, the White House said.
Obama thanked the King for Saudi Arabia’s pledge of 500 million US dollars to help alleviate the suffering of Iraqis who have been displaced by violence, the White House said in a statement.
The leaders also discussed the threat that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses to the stability of Iraq and to the entire region and agreed to continue to consult closely on regional developments, according to the statement. On Wednesday morning, US Vice President Biden spoke with Osama al-Nujaifi, who served as speaker of the previous session of Iraq’s Council of Representatives. Biden also expressed United States’ strong support for Iraq in fight against the ISIL and concern for those Iraqis affected by the current crisis, according to a separate statement from the White House.
Secretary of State John Kerry met a Kurdish delegation on Wednesday and also spoke to Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani by phone.
The White House emphasised on Wednesday that the success of deploying American military resources in Iraq depends on the legitimate efforts of the Iraqi leadership to form an inclusive government.
“That is why you’ve seen senior members of this administration in regular touch with Iraq’s political leaders to encourage them to act urgently to form a government that actually is inclusive,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a briefing.