- The State of Law Coalition (SLC) will not agree for the sacked Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Mutlag to take over Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi's position, said a SLC spokesman.

Ali Shalah's statement came in response to a bid by the Iraqiya bloc which proposed yesterday that Mutlag take over the empty position of Hashemi, who has been charged with terrorism and refuses to surrender to Baghdad courts.

"Mutlag proved his administrative deficiency or his lack of team work spirit as he was trying to mix the political work with executive one," Shalah said.

He added that Iraqiya List is convinced that the SLC, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, will not agree to the proposal which some political blocs offered as a solution to the ongoing dispute.

Multag and Hashemi are both from Iraqiya List, led by Maliki's election rival interim PM Ayad Allawi. Maliki sacked Mutlag after Mutlag described him in the media as "a destructive dictator". Earlier this month Iraqiya List said it refuses to offer any apology for Mutlag's remarks.

Concurrently with Mutlag's sacking, the Iraqi Supreme Judiciary Council issued an arrest order on December 19 for Hashemi on terrorism charges.

On February 16 the council announced Hashemi's involvement in 150 terrorist operations such as car bombs, mortar and homemade bomb attacks and assassinations of civilians, officials and Iranian pilgrims. Hashemi denies the charges and believes Maliki is behind the accusations.

Hashemi said yesterday that he will explain the allegations in the next 48 hours. He is now in the Sulaimaniya province of Iraqi Kurdistan, where officials refuse to surrender him to Baghdad.






AKnews