(24 Jun 2014) US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Iraq's northern, autonomous Kurdish region on Tuesday for talks with Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani, a key local leader who has feuded for years with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Kerry is trying to convince Iraq's political leaders that an overhaul of the Shiite-led government is the best way to tackle a Sunni insurgency that is pushing the country towards civil war.
He is hoping that support from Barzani will force al-Maliki to cede more power to Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish minorities and, in turn, soothe anger directed at Baghdad that has fuelled the insurgent Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Barzani's support is important because Kurds represent about 20 percent of Iraq's population and usually vote as a unified bloc.
That has made Kurds kingmakers in Iraq's national political process.
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