PM warns against carving up Iraq

Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki warned today that carving up his country into self-ruled regions could lead to more strife and the country’s break-up.

Mr al-Maliki, a Shiite, also accused the country’s Sunni Arab vice president Tariq al-Hashemi of impeding the political process, saying he was to blame for a backlog of draft laws adopted by parliament but not yet ratified by the three-man presidential council of which he is a member.