Iraqi premier meets senior U.S. diplomat in Baghdad

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi received on Sunday U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan, who is currently on a visit to Baghdad.

During the meeting, Sullivan stressed that the U.S. will continue to “fully support Iraq and the government of Abdul-Mahdi.”

The two sides also discussed means of boosting relations between the two countries in the coming period, as well as the latest developments in Iraq and the Middle East region.

They further stressed the importance of “continuing the international support for Iraq in the field of reconstruction after the end of war against terrorism.

Sullivan is the first senior U.S. diplomat to visit Iraq since Abdul-Mahdi was named as prime minister early this month.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s newly-elected president Barham Salih named Abdul-Mahdi as prime minister-designate and tasked him with forming a new government.

The announcement was aired on the official Iraqi TV a few hours after Salih was named as Iraq’s president.

Under the Iraqi constitution, Abdul-Mahdi would have 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to parliament for approval.

Iraqi politicians have been in a deadlock over the formation of a new government since an election in May.

Under the complex political order created after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime, government posts are usually shared out among Iraq’s ethnic and religious groups.

The Shiites, who are the largest group, take the post of prime minister, the Sunnis take the speaker, and the Kurds the presidency.