US Secretary of State John Kerry Saturday hailed Iraqi lawmakers for approving Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's nominees for the posts of defence and interior ministers as "a very positive step forward" in fighting the militant organisation Islamic State (IS).
"We are very pleased and congratulate Prime Minister al-Abadi, and we look forward to working with them as we continue to grow cooperation and move forward," Xinhua quoted Kerry as telling reporters before meeting visiting Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi.
Yang is preparing for the upcoming visit to China by US President Barack Obama in November.
Iraqi lawmakers Saturday approved Mohammad Salem al-Ghabban, a Shiite lawmaker, as Iraq's new interior minister, and Khaled al- Obeidi, a Sunni lawmaker from Mosul, as new defence minister.
Kerry said that the filling of these "critical positions" will assist the organised efforts to fight the IS.
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