Visit could stoke tensions between Baghdad's Shia-led government and Sunni monarchies of the Gulf
Tariq al-Hashemi, the fugitive Iraqi vice-president, travelled to Qatar on Sunday on what the Gulf nation's state news agency called an official visit.
The visit marks Hashemi's first foreign trip since he fled to Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region to avoid an arrest warrant issued in December, and could stoke tensions between Baghdad's Shia-led government and Sunni monarchies of the Gulf.
Hashemi is Iraq's highest-ranking Sunni official. Iraq accuses him of running death squads against Shia pilgrims, officials and security forces. He denies the charges, which he says are politically motivated.
Qatar protested at Baghdad's treatment of Iraq's Sunni minority by sending a mid-level official to an Arab League summit hosted by Iraq last week.
Other Sunni-led Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, also snubbed Iraq by sending lower-level officials.
The Gulf states are wary of the close ties Iraq's government has forged with regional Shia powerhouse Iran, which they see as a rival.
Iraq's interior ministry demanded last month that Kurdish leaders arrest Hashemi before he could flee the country.
The semi-autonomous Kurdish region has its own security forces, which means Hashemi was out of reach of police in Baghdad.
Hashemi will stay for several days, the Qatar News Agency said. He was greeted on arrival by the minister of state, Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim al Thani, a member of Qatar's ruling family.
While there was no immediate response from Iraq's government, the high-level treatment is likely to irk authorities in Baghdad.
Hashemi's office said he planned to meet Qatar's emir and the prime minister during the visit.
The statement said he planned to visit additional unnamed countries during the trip before returning to Iraq's Kurdish region.