Top US diplomat John Kerry has vowed to build an enduring international coalition to defeat Islamic State, saying almost every nation has a role to play in eliminating the jihadists terrorising Iraq and Syria.
Speaking only hours before leaving on a mission to solidify the hardening front against IS, Kerry praised the "new and exclusive" Iraqi cabinet, agreed late on Monday, as a "major milestone" for the war-torn country.
It had "the potential to unite all of Iraq's diverse communities", he said, referring to the sectarian divisions which have plagued the country for years.
With over 40 nations already set to join the US-led coalition to fight the group also known as ISIL, Kerry said "now is the time for Iraq's leaders to govern their nation with the same vision and sense of purpose that helped to bring this new government together".
Kerry will travel first to Amman, in Jordan and then onto Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but other stops could be likely for the secretary of state, who is known for his whirlwind diplomacy.
President Barack Obama also spoke with new Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to congratulate him on the formation of a government, even though key security posts remain unfilled.
"The prime minister expressed his commitment to work with all communities in Iraq as well as regional and international partners to strengthen Iraq's capabilities to fight against this common enemy," the White House said in a statement.
Speaking to reporters, Kerry pledged to build "the broadest possible coalition of partners around the globe to confront, degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL".
"Almost every single country has a role to play in eliminating tha ISIL threat and the evil that it represents," Kerry stressed.
Some countries will step up with "military assistance, both direct and in the form of training, arming, advising and equipping".
Others would contribute humanitarian aid for civilians caught in IS's crosshairs, help choke off its funding, and stem the flow of foreign fighters to the battlefields in Iraq and Syria by "demolishing the distortion of one of the world's great peaceful religions" and counter-acting IS propaganda.
Obama is dispatching Kerry on the eve of a Wednesday speech laying out his "game plan" on how to deal with the Islamic militants, who have beheaded two American journalists, posting shocking on-line videos of their murders.
But Obama has stressed he will not put US boots on the ground, after pulling the last US troops out of Iraq in 2011.
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