Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani is willing to participate in the formation of a new government in Baghdad, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday. On Monday, Barzani told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that he would press the issue of Kurdish independence with Kerry when the U.S. official visited Irbil, saying, "The Kurdish people should seize the opportunity now." Kurds have complained that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government has marginalized them, a feeling shared by Iraq's Sunni Arab minority. In his interview with CNN, Kerry said Iraqi leaders he has spoken with have "realized they cannot continue with this sectarian division" -- a realization that would presumably include a greater role for Kurds in governance.
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Iraqi Kurdish leader is willing to help form a new government, U.S. secretary of state says
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Massoud Barzani has said he wants to push for Kurdish independence
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A new government is crucial to success in Iraq, Kerry says in a CNN interview
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"I'm not taking anything I hear to the bank," Kerry says
U.S. officials also have promised what @placeholder said Monday would be "sustained" and "intense" aid.