LOC23:39
20:39 GMT
WASHINGTON, July 10 (KUNA) -- Responding to the passage of a new Kurdish
constitution that bolsters Kurdish claims over oil in northern Iraq, US State
Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on Friday that the United States was
"very concerned" about any unilateral steps taken within Iraq.
"Iraq has a lot of work to do," Crowley said during a department briefing.
"There is a debate going on within Iraq about the powers of the central
government, the powers of regional government, and ... we encourage all Iraqis
to come together, as they have unfinished business in terms of a variety of
challenges."
If the objective for Iraq and the United States is Iraqi national unity,
then "the sooner they can come together, resolve these outstanding issues and
move forward -- politically and socially -- the better for Iraq," Crowley
said. "And we, the United States, of course will be very supportive." (end)
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