BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Kurds on Thursday said their politicians will stay away from Cabinet meetings and called on Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to step down, blaming him for failing to stop the Sunni militant offensive that has swept across much of the country. The announced boycott of Cabinet sessions is the latest sign of the deteriorating relationship between the Shiite leader and the Kurds. The move was in protest against Al-Maliki’s accusations a day earlier that the largely autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq is harboring Sunni insurgents. Deputy Prime Minister Roz Nouri Shawez, the highest level Kurdish official in the government, told reporters Thursday that “such statements are meant to hide the big security fiasco by blaming others, and we announce our boycott of Cabinet meetings.” – AP