BAGHDAD — The U.N. urged Iraq’s leaders on Saturday to overcome their divisions and move quickly to form a government that can unite the country and confront a surging militant threat, warning that failure to do so “risks plunging the country into chaos.”
The Sunni insurgent blitz over the past month has driven Iraq into its deepest crisis since the last American troops left in 2011, pushing bloodshed to levels unseen since the height of the Iraq war.
Iraq’s new parliament is scheduled to hold its second session Sunday amid hopes that lawmakers can decide on a new prime minister, president and speaker of parliament — the first steps toward forming a new government.
U.N special envoy to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, warned of dire consequences if the deadlock drags on.
“It will only serve the interests of those who seek to divide the people of Iraq and destroy their chances for peace and prosperity,” he said in a statement. “Iraq needs a team that can bring people together.”
