The wanted on terrorism charges, Iraq's Vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi said his country imposes a threat to Arab's national security because of the Shiite government affiliation to Iran.
Hashemi's remarks made to "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" pan-Arab newspaper and briefed by "Shafaq News" that Iraq during the era of the Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki "turns from being the eastern gate's guard to a real source of threat to Arab national security, especially to the Gulf States".
"Unfortunately, Iraq has turned because of the invasion and inattentiveness of Arabs from the eastern gate's guard whose mission to protect the Arab nation from Iran to an Iran's clutch to harm its brother, Arabs countries," Hashemi said.
Iraq lies along the Arab World eastern borders with Iran.
"Maliki is not driven by only the intolerance culture of the one sect but he needs Iran's support which enables him to stay in office" Hashemi explained. "Iran's influence has infiltrated in all aspects of the Iraqi state as well as its activities, especially at the security, politics, culture, official and popular levels".
Iran has been a refuge to many of the members of Iraq's Shiite ruling coalition during Saddam Hussein's regime.
Hashemi described the Sunni rallies launched in the country since more than 3 months in a protest to the Shiite government's policies as "real Iraqi Spring paving the way to a change, a national and non-sectarian uprising that represents all Iraqis".
The Iraqi judiciary issued an arrest warrant against al-Hashemi on terrorism charges just few days post the withdrawal of the American troops from the country in December 2011.
© Shafaq News 2013
