Hashemi: U.S.-Iran meeting without Iraq is 'illogical and unreasonable '

Tariq al-Hashemi, is one of two Iraqi vice-presidents and the leading Sunni representative in goverment.

Effective Iraqi participation in the upcoming U.S.-Iran talks, scheduled to take place on Monday, is necessary to ensure Iraqis' prominent role in determining their own affairs, Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said on Friday.

"It is illogical and unreasonable that two foreign countries convene discussions on Iraq (without the participation of the Iraqi government)," al-Hashemi said in an interview with the 'From Iraq' program that was broadcasted on Friday evening by al-Arabiya News Channel.

Moreover, in a statement released on Saturday which the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) obtained a copy of, the vice president urged all Iraqi factions to unite, reject violence and work towards achieving the Iraqi national project, noting "The project is the only guarantee to prevent foreign interference in Iraq's internal affairs."

Describing it as a "phenomenon," al-Hashemi attributed administrative corruption in Iraq to the sectarian quota system, explaining that it is important to place the right person in the right position and give Iraq's Commission on Public Integrity (CPI) the authority to play its role as a neutral body.

During the interview al-Hashemi discussed other issues, including the rebuilding the Iraqi Armed Forces, his stance on militia groups, the draft law on uprooting the former Baath Party, proposed constitutional amendments, the Iraqi government's performance, and the Iraqi Accordance Front’s (IAF) alleged plans to withdraw from the government, the statement added.

From VOI

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VP Hashemi: U.S.-Iran meeting damages Iraq's sovereignty, says he will make Iraqis 'aware of the agenda'