Iraq's PM-designate calls for unity

BAGHDAD - Iraq's new prime minister-designate says he is committed to fighting corruption and uniting the Iraqi people in the face of terrorism.

In a statement released by his media office Friday, Haider al-Abadi says his Cabinet will be based on "efficiency and integrity, to salvage the country from security, political and economic problems."

Incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced late Thursday that he will not seek a third term in office, moving to defuse a political crisis that had plunged the country into uncertainty as it fights a Sunni insurgency.