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BAGHDAD - Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi cannot be arrested in the Kurdistan region by a force coming from Baghdad, the security and defense committee in the Iraqi Council of Representatives said today.
The committee indicated the the resolution to the problem is to implement Hashemi's demand to have his trial transferred from Baghdad to Kirkuk.
Committee member Hassan Jihad, who is also part of the Kurdistan Blocs Coalition, said that Hashemi cannot be arrested in Kurdistan as he is the vice president of Iraq and the issue can only be resolved by following constitutional and legal means and implementing his demand.
Kurdistan's interior ministry said yesterday that they could hand over Hashemi to Baghdad because he had not been delivered to their offices.
The comments from the Kurdish ministry came after a statement issued by the Iraqi interior ministry yesterday demanding Kurdistan to hand over Hashemi to the judiciary in Baghdad.
Iraq's Central Criminal Court has set May 3 as the date for the first trail session of Hashemi and his secretary and son in law Ahmed Qahtan in absentia with three charges attributed to them. There are also 70 other people in the VP's office wanted by the courts.
The Iraqi Supreme Judiciary Council issued an arrest order for Hashemi on December 19 on terrorism charges after his guards confessed the VP was involved in series of attacks.
Hashemi denied the charges and fled to Kurdistan, where he is currently under the protection of Iraqi Kurdistan regional officials.
The VP, who is a member of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, believes Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is behind the accusations.
On February 16 the council announced Hashemi's involvement in 150 armed operations that targeted judges, doctors and senior officers in the ministries of defense and interior by using silent weapons and missiles.
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The committee indicated the the resolution to the problem is to implement Hashemi's demand to have his trial transferred from Baghdad to Kirkuk.
Committee member Hassan Jihad, who is also part of the Kurdistan Blocs Coalition, said that Hashemi cannot be arrested in Kurdistan as he is the vice president of Iraq and the issue can only be resolved by following constitutional and legal means and implementing his demand.
Kurdistan's interior ministry said yesterday that they could hand over Hashemi to Baghdad because he had not been delivered to their offices.
The comments from the Kurdish ministry came after a statement issued by the Iraqi interior ministry yesterday demanding Kurdistan to hand over Hashemi to the judiciary in Baghdad.
Iraq's Central Criminal Court has set May 3 as the date for the first trail session of Hashemi and his secretary and son in law Ahmed Qahtan in absentia with three charges attributed to them. There are also 70 other people in the VP's office wanted by the courts.
The Iraqi Supreme Judiciary Council issued an arrest order for Hashemi on December 19 on terrorism charges after his guards confessed the VP was involved in series of attacks.
Hashemi denied the charges and fled to Kurdistan, where he is currently under the protection of Iraqi Kurdistan regional officials.
The VP, who is a member of the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, believes Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is behind the accusations.
On February 16 the council announced Hashemi's involvement in 150 armed operations that targeted judges, doctors and senior officers in the ministries of defense and interior by using silent weapons and missiles.
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