UN chief urges Iraq to build broad-based government to combat IS

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday urged all leaders in Iraq to form a "broad-based" government which enables the nation to combat the threat from the Islamic State (IS).

A statement issued here by his spokesperson said that Ban remains "deeply concerned" about the evolving humanitarian and security situation in Iraq.

"The secretary-general calls upon all Iraqi political parties to abide by the constitutional timeline that governs the nomination of the prime minister," said the statement.

The UN chief also called for "reason and wisdom to prevail" and urged all leaders in Iraq to "form a broad-based government" that is acceptable to all components of Iraqi society.

"Such a government should be able to mobilize the nation to confront the threat from the Islamic State (IS) in a way that will bring security and stability to the whole country," the statement said.

According to the Iraqi constitution, the new-elected President Fuad Masoum has been elected by the Iraqi parliament as the president of the country on July 24.

Aug. 8 is constitutional deadline for Masoum to nominate a prime minister, who would then form a new government. But the main political coalition still can't decide who to present as the next prime minister, delaying a scheduled discussion in parliament.

The situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate since bloody clashes between insurgent groups and government forces broke out in June. In the recent days, armed clashes have further exacerbated the situation in the northern part of the country, forcing people to flee.

The ongoing fighting has displaced more than 500,000 people since June, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI). All total, some 1.4 million have been displaced inside Iraq, including more than 230,000 Syrian refugees, who are also forced to flee.