ANKARA – Iraq's Sunni vice president Monday declared his “absolute innocence" in a terror trial that had sentenced him to death on charges of masterminding the murder of rivals, and rejected the conviction against him as a politically motivated sham. Tariq Al-Hashemi, who fled Iraq after the government brought charges against him, said he will not return to appeal the verdict unless he can be assured of a fair day in court. Speaking from his exile in Turkey, Al-Hashemi said a fair trial would be impossible in Baghdad and accused Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki — a Shiite and the vice president's longtime foe — of manipulating the courts against him as part of a political vendetta. “The verdict is unjust, politicized, illegitimate and I will not recognize it," Al-Hashemi told reporters in the Turkish capital, Ankara. “But I put it as a medal of honor on my chest because it was Al-Maliki, not anyone else, behind it. I'm proud that it is Al-Maliki, and not anyone else, to target me." “The death sentence is a price I have to pay due to my love for my country and my loyalty to my people," he added. “I reiterate that I'm innocent, and am ready to stand before a fair judicial system and not a corrupt one that is under Al-Maliki's influence." Asked directly if he will return to Baghdad within 30 days to seek a retrial, as is his right under Iraqi law, Al-Hashemi said: “I'm not going, regardless of the time scale that has been offered to me." The death sentence may hurt efforts for national reconciliation, President Jalal Talabani said in a statement Monday. “It was regrettable that the judicial decision against him was issued at this particular time," the statement on Talabani's website said. “He is still officially in office, which could become an unhelpful factor that... may complicate efforts to achieve national reconciliation." Talabani has sought to convene a national conference aimed at bridging sharp political differences in Iraq, but it has been repeatedly delayed. Al-Hashemi fled to Turkey after Iraq's Shiite-led government issued the terror charges against him in December, the day after US troops withdrew from the country. He would receive a retrial if he agrees to return to Baghdad, but Al-Hashemi has refused, saying he will never get a fair hearing in a Baghdad court. The politically charged case sparked a government crisis and fueled Sunni Muslim and Kurdish resentment against Al-Maliki, whom critics say is monopolizing power. Sunday's verdict was announced as Iraq reeled from a daylong pounding of bombings and shootings that left 92 people dead and more than 360 wounded in nearly two dozen attacks across the country. Al-Hashemi appeared defiantly upbeat at the packed press conference. “I am not worried about my life," he said. “I am worried about the future of my country." – Agencies
