Reuters: World News: Iraq tells Qatar to return fugitive VP Hashemi

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Iraq tells Qatar to return fugitive VP Hashemi Apr 2nd 2012, 13:09 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Iraq's Shahristani charges Kurdistan over oil halt 8:36am EDT Iraqi Kurdistan halts oil exports over pay dispute Sun, Apr 1 2012 Fugitive Iraq VP leaves Kurdish zone for Qatar Sun, Apr 1 2012 Slain Iraqi-American woman buried in Iraq Sat, Mar 31 2012 Clinton meets Saudi king amid Syria, Iran tensions Fri, Mar 30 2012 Analysis & Opinion Press Round-up – April 2 Insight: In Israel, an illegal outpost faces its reckoning Iraq's Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi speaks to Reuters during an interview in Baghdad June 16, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Saad Shalash BAGHDAD | Mon Apr 2, 2012 9:09am EDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Baghdad told Qatar on Monday to return fugitive Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, whose case has fuelled political tensions that are threatening to upset Iraq's fragile sectarian balance. Hashemi, one of Iraq's top Sunni politicians, has been sheltering in the autonomous northern Kurdistan region after the Shi'ite-led central government issued an arrest warrant for him in December on charges he ran death squads. On Sunday, he left Iraqi Kurdistan to visit the predominantly Sunni Arab Gulf state of Qatar, which Iraq said was in breach of Iraqi law. Hashemi's office said he would return after visiting several countries in the region. "Qatar's receiving Tareq al-Hashemi is unacceptable and it should review its position and return him back to Iraq to be tried," Deputy Prime Minister Hussain al-Shahristani told reporters at a press conference. "Allowing Hashemi to leave the region for Qatar is a clear challenge to Iraqi law and Iraqi courts." Iraq's Shi'ite-led government, which has close ties to Shi'ite neighbor Iran, is viewed with suspicion by Gulf Arab countries, which are ruled by Sunni Muslim monarchies. At last week's Arab League summit in Baghdad, Kuwait's emir was the only Gulf leader to attend while Saudi Arabia and Qatar sent low-level delegations, which the latter said was a message to Baghdad about its treatment of its Sunni minority. The warrant for Hashemi sparked a political crisis in Iraq in December and threatened to upset a power-sharing deal among Kurds, Sunnis and Shi'ites that aimed to ease sectarian tensions. Many Iraqi Sunnis saw the move as an attempt by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to shore up his power at the expense of the country's Sunni population. Iraq's Shi'ite majority ascended to power following the fall of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Serena Chaudhry; Editing by John Stonestreet) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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