- ISTANBUL: Turkey’s prime minister has met with Iraq's fugitive vice president, who is on a regional tour to seek political support.
- Tariq Al-Hashemi is trying to bolster his case that he remains a key member of Iraq's government despite being a wanted man in Baghdad on terror charges.
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says the meeting with Al-Hashemi, the top Sunni official in Iraq's Shiite-dominated government, was underway on Saturday in Istanbul.
It is Al-Hashemi’s third stop after Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Qatar. No statement was expected after the meeting.
Iraq's government issued an arrest warrant for Al-Hashemi in December on charges including allegedly running death squads against Shiite.