Peter Cave reported this story on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 08:18:00

TONY EASTLEY: A simmering feud between Iraq and its powerful neighbour Turkey has erupted into a bitter war of words between the country's prime ministers with the Turkish leader issuing a blunt warning that he will not stand by quietly and allow Nouri al-Maliki to lead Iraq into a sectarian civil war.



It came as insurgents set off four car bombs in Shiite neighbourhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 75, and as the United Nations commissioner for human rights criticised Iraq's bloody record on executions.



Foreign affairs editor Peter Cave.



PETER CAVE: The bomb attacks were coordinated and deadly. They underline the growing sectarian divide between the country's Shiite majority and Sunni minority which has escalated following the withdrawal of US forces in December.



The first bomb targeted day labourers gathering to seek work in the impoverished suburb of Sadr City.



It was followed in quick succession by blasts at a nearby traffic roundabout next to two schools in the Shula District and in a busy commercial area in Hurriya.



(Sound of man speaking)



"What do they want to achieve?" says this man watching the latest victims being carried away. "What do they want from all these killings? Will this end? What did the people do to be killed? A blind man who sells newspapers, another selling soup. What did those innocent people do? What do they want from the people?"



Insurgents groups allied to Al Qaeda have been warning that they will step up attacks on the Shiites following a decision by the Shiite prime minister Nouri al-Maliki last month to issue an arrest warrant for the Sunni vice president Tareq al-Hashemi on terrorism charges. That led to a Sunni boycott of parliament.



Turkey which is largely Sunni Muslim but nominally secular has been watching developments in Iraq nervously and has made no secret of its belief that Iraq is on the verge of a full scale sectarian war. Iraq has told Turkey to stop meddling in its affairs.



Now Mr Erdogan has taken time out from a bitter spat with France over allegations of an Armenian genocide to up the rhetoric.



He's warned Mr Maliki's Shiite led government that Turkey would have to take action if the Iraqi prime minister did not change course, saying that Maliki should know that if he started a conflict in Iraq in the form of sectarian clashes it would be impossible for Turkey to remain silent.



He said watching brothers massacre each other would make Turkey an accomplice to murder.



The Iraqi prime minister quickly returned the barb, accusing Mr Erdogan of provoking sectarian violence with his comments.



But the Turkish prime minister was not the only one throwing barbs at Mr Maliki.



The former war crimes judge and now UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay has criticised Iraq for carrying out a large number of executions, including 34 in a single day last week, and voiced concern about due process and the fairness of trials in Iraq.



Her spokesman is Rupert Colville.



RUPERT COLVILLE: There are around 48 crimes for which the death penalty can be imposed in Iraq including a number of non-fatal crimes such as under certain circumstances damage to public property.



We do not have a single report of anyone on death row ever having been pardoned since 2004.



PETER CAVE: The Human Rights Commission is asking that Iraq institute an immediate moratorium on carrying out further executions.



This is Peter Cave reporting for AM.