Brussels, Sep 10 (IANS): NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen Tuesday welcomed the formation of the new Iraqi government, encouraging all Iraqi political leaders to stand behind the new government.

"This new government is an important step towards building unity, security and stability in Iraq," Xinhua quoted Rasmussen as saying in a statement.

He called the formation of the government under Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi a historic opportunity for Iraq's people and their political leaders to overcome ethnic and sectarian divides.

Rasmussen said the support of all Iraqi political leaders "will be essential to defeat the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which poses a grave threat to the Iraqi people, to the wider region, and to our nations," he added.

At the recent NATO Summit in Wales, allies reaffirmed their commitment to the NATO-Iraq partnership.

"Should the Iraqi government request it, we stand ready to consider measures within the framework of the Alliance's Defence Capacity Building initiative to assist Iraq in its efforts to build more effective security forces," Rasmussen added.