Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah offered Saturday to host talks in his kingdom aimed at ending the nearly eight-month political stalemate in Iraq, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The king, in a statement published by the SPA, called on Iraqi leaders to meet in the Saudi capital of Riyadh after the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, around mid-November. He said the meeting would take place under the umbrella of the Arab League, a 22-member organization of Arab states.
"It is well-known to everyone that you are at a crossroads, a fact that necessitates your uniting the ranks, rising above your wounds, distancing the shadows of differences, and extinguishing the fire of abhorrent sectarianism," said the king, as reported by SPA.
"Our hands are outstretched to you. Let us work together for the security, integrity and stability of the land and brotherly people of Iraq," he said, addressing leaders.
The Iraqi government has been in limbo for months. Elections in March gave the opposition al-Iraqiya bloc two more seats in parliament than Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's National Alliance coalition, but al-Iraqiya has not been able to muster the support required -- 163 seats in the 325-member Parliament -- to form a new government.
The Saudi king's offer received a mixed response from inside Iraq.
CNN
