Iraq's sectarian split lies in politics - Iyad Allawi
Former Iraqi prime minister, Iyad Allawi, told HARDtalk's Sarah Montague about the sectarian divisions within the country and how these are being exacerbated by the violence in Syria.
He said if the violence between the Shia majority and Sunni minority continues Iraq could split, but he said most people did not want this and were not sectarian.
Mr Allawi added the Sunni-Shia conflict "lies within the political circles, not within the people of Iraq."
You can watch the full interview on BBC World News on Wednesday 19 June at 20:30 GMT and on the BBC News Channel on Thursday 20 June at 00:30 BST.