RIYADH (AFP) – Saudi Arabia on Monday called on Iraq’s political parties to move quickly to form a new government to enhance the country’s stability and security.

The Saudi cabinet in its weekly meeting “urged its Iraqi brothers to speedily form a new government to bring more security and stability in the country,” according to an official report carried by the SPA news agency.

The cabinet, presided by Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, made the call as Iraqi politicians continue to struggle to form a new government more than four months after an inconclusive election.

Iraq’s political party leaders on Monday extended the inaugural parliamentary session by two weeks to give themselves time to sort out the deadlock.

Saudi-supported former premier Iyad Allawi, leader of the broadly secular Iraqiya coalition, is seeking to replace current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose Shiite-led State of Law alliance came a close second in the election.