Caught In The Middle.(Iraq)(Interview)

Byline: Rod Nordland and Larry Kaplow

Simply holding office in Iraq can be deadly; just ask its vice president, who faces enemies on all sides.

Vice President Tareq Al Hashemi is the highest-ranking Sunni in Iraq's Shia-dominated unity government, although his party has withdrawn its cooperation. Al Hashemi has paid dearly for holding the course: two of his brothers and a sister have been assassinated, and his party is being shunned by many of the armed Sunni volunteers (known as the "Awakening" movement) who have recently helped stem the violence. Last Friday, Hashemi spoke to NEWSWEEK's Rod Nordland and Larry Kaplow in Baghdad. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: HOW do you see this period of relative calm playing out, and what is the role of Sunni fighters paid by the Americans to help keep the peace?

HASHEMI: There is improvement in security, no doubt about that. Hopefully we can make it sustainable. We have to support the Awakening movement now; if the government does, I think there will be a genuine chance to have sustainable security.

Support them how?

We don't want to give the impression that we are deliberately trying to mislead the government or our partners in the political process [while] behind the scenes trying to encourage or develop some kind of underground militias. So we are very interested to see all those youngsters become part of the police, part of the Iraqi Army and subject to government control.