Iraq VP: Maliki wants to run Iraq like "one-man-show"

The Sunni vice president wanted for allegedly running a hit squad in Iraq has accused Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of waging a campaign against Sunnis and pushing the country toward sectarian war.     

In an interview Friday with The Associated Press Tariq al-Hashemi said al-Maliki wants to get rid of all political rivals and run Iraq like a "one-man-show."    

He spoke to the AP at a guesthouse of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in the mountains overlooking the northern Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, 160 miles (260 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad.     

The Iraqi government maintains al-Hashemi orchestrated a campaign of assassinations carried out by his bodyguards. Earlier this week they aired televised confessions of the bodyguards detailing how al-Hashemi gave them money for the hits.         

"Definitely, he is going to concentrate on the Sunni community because they are the society, the community of Tariq al-Hashemi so they are going to suffer," the vice president said. He said other sectors of Iraqi society could also be targeted in the future, but for now, it's the Sunnis.    

"He is trying to escalate the tension, making life very, very difficult for our provinces, to our people," he said.    

Al-Hashemi warned that after Thursday's violence, the prime minister may crack down even more. He called on "sensible people" in al-Maliki's alliance of Shiite parties to stop his policies.      

"This gentleman has no sympathy, no belief in democracy at all. He would like to run Iraq in the style of a one-man-show," he said. "Simple as that." 

AP