A secular bloc that won the most seats in Iraq’s March 2010 vote has said it will end a boycott of parliament that it began in mid-December.

Iraqiya spokeswoman Maysoon al-Damluji told a news conference after a gathering of Iraqiya leaders and lawmakers that the block “would return for parliament meetings.”

According to a member of the parliament, Aytab al-Duri, the decision has not been taken to end a boycott of cabinet sessions.

A conflict started a month ago between the Shi’ite-led government and the Iraqiya bloc as authorities charged Vice President Tariq  al-Hashimi, a Sunni and Iraqiya member, with running a death squad.

Hashemi denies the charges and has escaped to the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

Kurdish officials have so far declined to hand him over to Baghdad.

compiled from agency reports

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