VP heads Iraqi delegation to Arab summit

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on Thursday will head an Iraqi delegation to an emergency Arab summit in the Qatari capital Doha to discuss the current situation in the Gaza Strip. “The emergency Arab summit, scheduled to take place on Friday, Jan. 16, will tackle the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip,” according to a statement released by Hashemi’s office and received by IraqiNews.com news agency. Hashemi is the leader of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), one of the main components of the Sunni Iraqi Accord Front (IAF) with 27 seats in the 275-member Parliament. Hashemi has contacted representatives of the United Nations, U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden, as well as officials from Russia and Britain, demanding an immediate halt to Israeli violence in the Hamas-run territories. SS (P)/SR 1