Tariq al-Hashemi, the Iraqi vice-president who has been named by the government as being involved in deadly violence in the country, has said that he will not face courts in Baghdad, alleging that they are not credible or transparent.
Hashemi, speaking exclusively to Al Jazeera on Saturday from the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah, said that he was ready to present himself before a court in Kurdistan.
He said that he was carrying out his duties as normal in Sulaymaniyah, and denied that he had fled to the Kurdish part of the country in order to escape prosecution.
Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, said on Saturday that Hashemi would stand trial only if promises were made regarding its fairness.
