Barack Obama, the US president, has urged Iraqi leaders involved in a fragile power-sharing deal to aim for an “inclusive government” for the country.
The White House said in a statement on Friday that the president spoke in recent days with Iraqi politicians including Ayad Allawi, head of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, and would be speaking shortly with Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister.
The statement said Obama stressed the need for Allawi, others from Iraqiya and all the winning blocs to hold leadership posts in the new government.
