The News Minute| June 26, 2014| 04:35 pm IST

Baghdad: The Iraqi presidency has urged the country's newly elected parliament to start the process of formation of a new government July 1, media reported Thursday.

"The presidency issued a decree calling for the Council of Representatives to convene Tuesday, July 1," Xinhua reported citing Iraqiya channel.

The first session will be attended by 328 parliament members who were elected April 30.

The office of Vice President Khudair al-Khzaie Wednesday said in a statement that "the presidency is committed to a democratic path of the political process of the country".

The session was called amidst worsening security conditions that began less than two weeks ago when militants led by the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) launched an offensive that led to the debacle of Iraqi security forces, and loss of a large part of the country's northern and western territories.

With IANS