DHAKA: The US has hailed the announcement of a new government in Iraq ahead of a drive to organise an international coalition against Islamic State (IS).

Secretary of State John Kerry said the US would stand with Iraqis in the fight against the group, which has seized large parts of the country.

Mr Kerry begins a visit Jordan and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks.

Iraq's parliament approved the new government, which includes Sunnis and Kurds, on Monday.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, a moderate Shia, was asked to form a government in August after the resignation of Nouri al-Maliki.

He chose Saleh al-Mutlak, a Sunni, and Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, as his deputy prime ministers, and vowed to fill the interior and defence minister positions within a week.

The US has repeatedly called for Iraq's central government to do more to deal with the grievances of the Sunni minority to persuade it to join the fight against IS.

Source: BBC

BDST: 0830 HRS, SEP 09, 2014