Iraq's Sunni VP says his party unwilling to rejoin Cabinet

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iraq's vice president said Friday his Sunni political party will not return to its Cabinet positions unless their demands are met. Tariq al-Hashemi's moderate party is part of a Sunni political alliance, the Accordance Front, which recently pulled five of its ministers out of the Shiite-dominated government, saying Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki failed to respond to a set of demands, including the release of security detainees held without charges. "We don't have such a thought, willingness," al-Hashemi said in response to a question about whether the ministers would return to their Cabinet jobs. "We have suggested a package of reforms which includes our expectations, we may return to the Cabinet if the government meets our expectations."