Iraq's PM-designate calls for unity



BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's new prime minister-designate says he is committed to fighting corruption and uniting the Iraqi people in the face of terrorism.

In a statement released by his media office Friday, Haider al-Abadi says his Cabinet will be based on "efficiency and integrity, to salvage the country from security, political and economic problems."

Incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced late Thursday that he will not seek a third term in office, moving to defuse a political crisis that had plunged the country into uncertainty as it fights a Sunni insurgency.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

The decision by Nouri al-Maliki to step down as Iraq's prime minister brought celebrations from his opponents Friday, as the country's top Shiite cleric urged his successor to carry out dramatic reforms so the new government can take on Sunni insurgents who have overrun large parts of the country.

The man tapped to become the next prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, a veteran Shiite lawmaker, now faces the immense challenge of trying to unite Iraqi politicians as he cobbles together a Cabinet in just over three weeks.

Iraq's major factions deeply distrust each other. Sunni politicians are pressing for greater political influence, saying their disenfranchisement under al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government fueled support among the Sunni minority for the insurgency, led by the extremist Islamic State group. At the same time, the military needs significant bolstering after falling apart in the face of the militants' advance and proving incapable of taking back lost territory.

But the immediate emotion Friday was relief that al-Maliki had relented after weeks of insisting he must be allowed to serve a third, four-year term in the post, causing a mounting political crisis as even his fellow Shiites pushed for him to go.

During Friday prayers in Baghdad's Shiite Sadr City district, a man distributed sweets to Shiite worshippers, proclaiming, "Saddam has been brought down."

The comparison of al-Maliki to the late dictator Saddam Hussein showed the depth of opposition to the outgoing prime minister even among some of his fellow Shiites. Sadr City is dominated by followers of powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, one of al-Maliki's harshest critics. Six years ago, al-Maliki sent security forces to battle al-Sadr's militias to establish his authority and project his image as a national leader.

"We congratulate the Iraqi propel for the victory that has been done this week. It is the week of congratulations" said Ali Talaqani, a preacher loyal to al-Sadr, in his sermon to Sadr City worshippers.

Shiite factions turned against al-Maliki largely because they saw him as domineering and monopolizing power and allowing widespread corruption in favor of his loyalists. Critics say he staffed the military's officer corps with incompetent loyalists, playing a major role in the army's collapse in the face of the Islamic State militants the past two months.

Sunni factions also accused him of widespread corruption. But they also said his government sidelined their community, angered by his crackdown on Sunni protests and arrests of Sunni politicians.

On Friday, Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called upon the next government to address "shortcomings" in security and to crack down on corruption in the political establishment. He said there is a "dire need" for new leadership that can combat terrorism and heal sectarian divisions.

"This is a rare, positive chance for Iraq to pursue new horizons that will lead to solving all of its problems - especially political and security," the reclusive leader said in a Friday sermon delivered by his spokesman Ahmed al-Safi in the holy city of Karbala.

"The enormous spread of corruption in state institutions hampers any real progress in the sectors of security, services and economic development."

Al-Sistani, who rarely appears in public and almost always delivers messages through spokesmen, had been issuing veiled calls for al-Maliki to step aside for weeks, marking a rare intervention in politics by the normally quietist cleric.

Al-Maliki announced on national television Thursday evening he was giving up his post and throwing his support to al-Abadi. He stood along senior members of his Shiite Islamic Dawa Party, including al-Abadi.

Al-Maliki said he was stepping aside in favor of his "brother" al-Abadi in order to "facilitate the political process and government formation."

The longtime prime minister had been growing increasingly isolated as he struggled to keep his post. The United States, the U.N., and perhaps his most important ally Iran were in agreement that he should go.

The White House commended al-Maliki's move and expressed hope that the transfer of power "can set Iraq on a new path and unite its people" against the threat from Islamic militants, national security adviser Susan Rice said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the move "sets the stage for a historic and peaceful transition of power in Iraq."

The U.N. Security Council urged al-Abadi to work swiftly to form "an inclusive government that represents all segments of the Iraqi population and that contributes to finding a viable and sustainable solution to the country's current challenges."

The Islamic State group's lightning advance has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, and last week prompted the U.S. to launch aid operations and airstrikes as the militants threatened religious minorities and the largely autonomous Kurdish region.

The U.N. this week declared the situation in Iraq a "Level 3 Emergency" - a decision that came after some 45,000 members of the Yazidi religious minority were able to escape from a remote desert mountaintop where they had been encircled by Islamic State fighters. The extremist group views them as apostates and had vowed to kill any who did not convert to Islam.

The U.N. said it would provide increased support to the Yazidis and to 400,000 other Iraqis who have fled since June to the Kurdish province of Dahuk. A total of 1.5 million people have been displaced by the fighting.

In Brussels, the European Union's foreign ministers held an emergency meeting Friday on Iraq to coordinate their stance on military support for the Kurds and providing humanitarian assistance for those fleeing the fighting.

Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini told reporters that she hopes al-Abadi will form a new government "in the next days, not weeks."

---

Associated Press reporters Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Boston and Juergen Baetz in Brussels contributed to this report.

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.