Ankara reprimanded an Iraqi rally against its consulate in Basra, where protesters burnt Turkish flags after Turkey refused to hand over their fugitive vice president, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu condemned "the ugly behaviour against the Turkish flag in a demo apparently manipulated by impertinent individuals," in a phone conversation with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari.
Around 200 protesters rallied Saturday outside the Turkish consulate, threatening to boycott Turkish companies if Ankara does not hand over Tareq al-Hashemi, on trial in absentia in Baghdad on charges of running a death squad.
The demonstrators set fire to a Turkish flag, shouting "Throw the Turks out!" as they accused the Ankara government of fueling sectarian conflicts by not extraditing the top Sunni official.
Turkey slams flag-burning protest in Iraq
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