(27 Jun 2014) British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in the Iraqi city of Irbil on Friday for talks with Kurdish Regional President, Massoud Barzani.
Speaking during a joint news conference at the Salahuddin resort, Hague urged Iraq's political leaders to form a new inclusive government that represents all the components of the Iraqi people.
He said it was the only way to bring peace and unity to Iraq, and to deal with Sunni militants who have seized large swathes of territory.
"We hope everyone, Shia, Sunni and Kurds will join in making that happen," he said.
The British Foreign Secretary has already met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is fighting to keep his job, with his former Shiite allies and even key patron Iran exploring alternatives in the face of Iraq's worst crisis since US troops withdrew at the end of 2011.
Hague's visit follows US Secretary of State John Kerry, who promised "intense and sustained" US support for Iraq, but said the divided country would only survive if its leaders took urgent steps to bring it together.
With Iraq's bitterly divided sects focused on self-interests, Barzani has vowed to maintain control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, seized by Kurdish forces, ostensibly to defend it from the Islamic State fighters.
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