Iraq's fugitive Sunni vice president meets Kurdish leader

ISTANBUL – Iraq's fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi has met in Istanbul with the leader of the Iraqi Kurdish region.

Al-Hashemi, who is wanted on terror charges that he insists are politically motivated, told reporters Thursday that he and Massoud Barzani discussed recent trips to the United States and Gulf countries.

Al-Hashemi, the top Sunni Muslim official in Iraq's Shiite Muslim-dominated government, arrived in Turkey earlier this month after stops in Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Turkish officials have not said how long he would stay.

Barzani is paying an official visit to Turkey after talks with U.S. officials in Washington.

Iraq's government issued an arrest warrant for al-Hashemi in December on charges including allegedly running death squads against Shiite Muslim pilgrims.