Iraqi Lawmakers Begin Task of Forming Government | WPN World People News

Iraqi lawmakers are beginning the process of forming the country's next government as they meet Tuesday for the first time since being elected in late April.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was a favorite to claim his third term after the election, but since then Sunni Islamist militants have captured large areas of northern and western Iraq and thrown the country into crisis.

Western leaders have urged Iraqi officials to form an inclusive government to counter sectarian divisions among its Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish populations.

The United States has not directly called for Maliki's departure, but has repeatedly stressed the need for a break from a government accused of marginalizing Iraq's minorities.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that it is up to Iraq to decide on its leaders, and that the U.S. hopes the lawmakers act quickly to come to an agreement.

"We're urging all leaders across the spectrum to treat the situation with extreme urgency and quickly begin a very serious negotiation to determine the makeup of the next government. And that government, in our view, as I said, has to be broadly an inclusive one in order to provide stability to the country," said Earnest.

Iraq has been operating under a system in which the prime minister is a Shi'ite, the president a Kurd and the head of parliament a Sunni.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has added 200 more troops to bolster security at its embassy and Baghdad's international airport.

President Barack Obama authorized the deployment Monday, saying in a letter to Congress it will also include helicopters and unmanned drones.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said the troops already have arrived in Iraq. They join the 275 troops sent to protect the embassy last month.

These forces are separate from the up to 300 military advisers the president authorized to assist Iraq as it battles the militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, who have taken over major cities and threatened to attack Baghdad.

The latest announcement brings the number of U.S. forces in Iraq to nearly 800.

Source: Voice of America