US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called upon leaders in Iraq to abandon the sectarian quota system and make concessions to help form a government and strengthen the bilateral relationship between Washington and Baghdad.
Earlier this month, Iraq's president named intelligence chief Mustafa Al-Kadhimi as prime minister-designate, the third person tapped to lead Iraq within 10 weeks, amid enormous difficulties and acute political disputes after the previous government resigned last year following violent protests that lasted for months.
Pompeo said at a press briefing at the State Department that the United States was watching closely as Al-Kadhimi entered his third week trying to form a government.
"Iraqi leaders must put aside the sectarian quota system and make compromises that lead to government formation for the good of the Iraqi people, and for the partnership between the United States and Iraq," Pompeo said.
"The Iraqi government, too, must heed the call from many elements of Iraqi society to bring all armed groups under state control, and we welcome steps that have been taken in the past days in that direction," Pompeo added.
Relations between Washington and Baghdad have been tensed, as the United States expressed its disappointment at the failure of Iraqi forces to protect American forces stationed in Iraq.
US forces have been hit by several missile attacks this year, which the United States has blamed on Iranian-backed militants.
Earlier in March, David Schenker, the State Department's top diplomat for the Middle East, said Washington was "enormously disappointed" with the performance of the Iraqi government in fulfilling its obligations to protect U.S.-led coalition forces and that the issue remained a point of contention.
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