Maliki calls for Iraqi unity as battle rages at former U.S. air base

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/maliki-calls-for-iraqi-unity-as-battle-rages-at-former-us-air-base/2014/06/25/77936361-80ab-4844-a37c-4c1462df631c_story.html

Maliki calls for Iraqi unity as battle rages at former U.S. air base
By Loveday Morris and Liz Sly June 25 at 7:10 AM

BAGHDAD — Embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called Wednesday for political unity in the face of a brutal al-Qaeda-inspired insurgency, as he sought to shore up crumbling support for his government.

Striking a conciliatory but desperate tone in a televised address to the nation, Maliki urged political parties to lay aside their differences before the first session of Iraq’s newly elected parliament, expected to take place next week.

“We desperately need a united national stance to defy terrorism,” said Maliki, who is under pressure from the United States to reach out to those who oppose him, (sic)

His speech, delivered two days after he met with Secretary of State John F. Kerry, contrasted sharply with his public declarations earlier in the crisis, which have appealed to religious motivations and called for citizens to protect the country’s Shiite Muslim shrines.