John Kerry arrives in Baghdad, urges Iraqis to form new government

John Kerry arrives in Baghdad, urges Iraqis to form new government
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Baghdad on Monday to urge Iraqis to overcome sectarian differences to form a new, more inclusive government.

Kerry met with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and is slated to meet with leaders of various Iraqi factions as well. The New York Times reports that after leaving al-Maliki's compound, he simply remarked, "That was good." After sitting down with al-Maliki, Kerry visited Ammar al-Hakim, the leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shiite party that rivals al-Maliki's State of Law party.

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The Times reports that while choosing Iraq's leaders is not the United States' "formal position," America is urging Iraqis to form a new government quickly and create a united front against attacks from ISIS, the Sunni extremist group gaining hold in northern and western Iraq. Yesterday, ISIS snatched key border posts next to Syria and Jordan.

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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.