Written question asked by Douglas Alexander (Labour) on Thursday, 8 March 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 March 2012. It was answered by Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative) on Monday, 19 March 2012 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister of Iraq on the arrest warrant for Tariq al-Hashemi.

Answer: I have had no discussions with the Prime Minister of Iraq on the subject of the arrest warrant or allegations made against Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi. We are not able to comment on the substance of the allegations which are properly for the Iraqi courts to address. Our expectation, and that of our EU and international colleagues, is that any judicial process must be transparent and be in accordance with Iraqi law and the Constitution.We remain concerned about the fragile security situation in Iraq and note with sadness recent terrorist attacks in that country. The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), condemned the attacks on Shia pilgrims in January and the more recent attacks on Iraqi security forces. We look to Iraq's political leaders to ensure the political process delivers real improvements in security for all of Iraq's people, and to bring the perpetrators of terrorist attacks to justice.

Secondary information