Kerry slaps down Maliki after he accuses Iraqi president of violating constitution

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the formation of an Iraqi government is critical for stability and urged Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki not to stoke political tensions.

Special forces loyal to al-Maliki deployed in strategic areas of Baghdad on Sunday night after he delivered a tough speech indicating he would not cave in to pressure to drop a bid for a third term – raising concerns that he is determined to retain power at all costs.

The deadlock over a new government has plunged Iraq into a political crisis at a time it is fighting a land grab by Islamic State (Isis) militants.

“The government formation process is critical in terms of sustaining stability and calm in Iraq, and our hope is that Mr Maliki will not stir those waters,” Kerry told reporters in Sydney on Monday ahead of an annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN).

“One thing all Iraqis need to know, that there will be little international support of any kind whatsoever for anything that deviates from the legitimate constitution process that is in place and being worked on now.”

Kerry’s words came as senior US officials said the Obama administration has begun directly providing weapons to Kurdish forces who have started to make gains against the militants.

The US previously had insisted on only selling arms to the Iraqi government. The officials wouldn’t say which US agency is providing the arms or what weapons are being sent, but one official said it isn’t the Pentagon. The CIA has historically done similar arming operations.

Officials say the administration is close to approving plans for the Pentagon to arm the Kurds. Recently the US military has been helping facilitate weapons deliveries from the Iraqis to the Kurds, who had been losing ground to the Islamic State. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the operation publicly.

The United States threw its weight behind Iraqi president Fuad Masum on Sunday after he was accused by prime minister Maliki of violating the constitution.

As security forces massed in the capital Baghdad, the under-pressure Maliki made the surprise announcement on state television on Sunday night that he would be filing a complaint against Masum. Security forces loyal to Maliki seized important areas around Baghdad, including bridges spanning the Tigris River and installations in the secured Green Zone.

On Monday, Iraq’s highest court ruled that Maliki’s bloc is the biggest in parliament, meaning he could retain his position, state television reported. The move puts further pressure on the president, who, according to the constitution, must now ask Maliki to form a new government in Iraq.

In response to Maliki’s allegations on Sunday, US state department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement: “The United States fully supports president Fuad Masum in his role as guarantor of the Iraqi constitution.

“We reaffirm our support for a process to select a prime minister who can represent the aspirations of the Iraqi people by building a national consensus and governing in an inclusive manner,” she said, echoing an earlier comment made on Twitter by deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs Brett McGurk.

“We reject any effort to achieve outcomes through coercion or manipulation of the constitutional or judicial process.”

US president Barack Obama has urged Iraqi politicians to form a more inclusive government that can counter the growing threat from the Sunni militant group Islamic State (Isis).

Maliki, who has been under huge pressure to give up his bid for a third term, alleged Masum, a Kurd, had violated the constitution twice, including by failing to task a prime minister-designate with forming a new government.

“I will submit today an official complaint to the federal court against the president of the Republic for committing a clear constitutional violation for the sake of political calculations,” said Maliki.

Serving in a caretaker capacity since an inconclusive election in April, Maliki has defied calls by Sunnis, Kurds, some fellow Shi’ites, regional power broker Iran and Iraq’s top cleric for him to step aside for a less polarising figure.

However, a bloc comprising Iraq’s biggest Shi’ite parties is close to nominating a successor to Maliki, the deputy speaker of parliament Haider al-Abadi said early on Monday, suggesting Maliki would have to step aside.

Abadi is one of the people that has been mentioned as a possible successor to Maliki.

His comments in a tweet came after police sources said special forces and Shi’ite militias loyal to Maliki had been deployed in strategic areas of Baghdad after his television speech.

An eyewitness told Reuters that a tank was stationed at the entrance to Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses government buildings.

Many Iraqis see Maliki as partly responsible for the recent losses to Isis in northern Iraq because he has institutionalised sectarianism.

Washington, Tehran, the Shiite religious leadership and much of Maliki’s own party have pulled their support, but he has dug his heels in and apparently not yet given up on seeking a third term.

“The United States stands ready to support a new and inclusive government, particularly in the fight against [Isis],” Harf said.

“We believe such a new and inclusive government is the best way to unify the country against [Isis], and to enlist the support of other countries in the region and international community.”