Shafaq News..Iraqi armed factions tie weapons issue to full sovereignty

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi armed factions view bringing weapons under state control as
inseparable from achieving full national sovereignty, Kazem al-Fartousi,
spokesman for Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, told Shafaq News, describing September
30 as a test of the United States and the US-led international coalition’s
commitment to their obligations to the Iraqi government.

Al-Fartousi added that the weapons issue was discussed by two
committees, one formed by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of
predominantly Shiite political forces, and another by armed factions. He said
the discussions focused on setting priorities for the process.

“The principle put forward by the factions, which cannot be divided or
negotiated, is that weapons are exchanged for sovereignty,” al-Fartousi said,
stressing that the factions would not give up their weapons unless Iraq achieves
full sovereignty.

He explained that this would require protecting Iraq’s people, land and
airspace, as well as its national interests, political decision-making and
economic independence. He added that the 10 demands put forward by the factions
were “national” issues affecting all of Iraq, from north to south.

Read more: Source: Iraq considers factions’ arsenal freeze alternative

Al-Fartousi described the demands as not serving the interests of the
armed factions alone, but rather as “a definition of sovereignty, an expression
of it, and a means of achieving full sovereignty for this country.”

Regarding the government’s ability to meet the demands, al-Fartousi
noted that “some of these demands are already included in the government
program.” He stressed, however, that the issue was not simply whether the
government could respond, but where Iraq’s interests lie.

He described the Iraqi government as the executive authority
representing the Iraqi people and the country’s interests, while saying the
Coordination Framework, as the political bloc responsible for setting political
principles and direction, has a role in overseeing and shaping the government’s
work.

Asked whether September 30 represents a deadline for resolving the
weapons issue, al-Fartousi said there was “some confusion over the dates,”
explaining that the date marks the withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq.

He described September 30 as “the first test of the Trump administration’s
and the coalition’s seriousness in implementing their commitments to the Iraqi
government,” adding that discussions over the weapons issue, including the
presence and use of those weapons, would begin after that date.

Some of the issues under discussion require time, while others require
only “a political decision” and could be resolved relatively quickly,
al-Fartousi added.

Read more: Factions and officials plan talks on weapons

Two days earlier, sources told Shafaq News that a preliminary agreement
had been reached to hold a meeting bringing together government, military and
security officials, Coordination Framework leaders, representatives of the
Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and representatives of armed factions to
discuss mechanisms for bringing weapons under state control ahead of the
September 30 deadline. The meeting was later postponed after Harakat al-Nujaba
did not attend.

The sources emphasized that the meeting would not constitute a final
agreement on how to bring weapons under state control, but would form part of
efforts to ease tensions, prevent possible escalation and seek understandings
on the process.

A Shafaq News source told the agency Sunday that the armed factions
would not surrender their weapons on September 30. The source pointed to a
second option under discussion: regulating the weapons or freezing their use.

Two weeks ago, the Coordination Framework formed a three-member
committee comprising former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, former
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Hadi al-Amiri to contain tensions
surrounding efforts to bring weapons under state control, particularly
following heightened media rhetoric surrounding the issue.

The committee has held extensive talks in recent days with factions
involved in the weapons issue.

The effort to bring weapons under state control does not have the
backing of all Iraqi factions. Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib
Sayyid al-Shuhada and other factions have rejected calls to surrender their
weapons by September 30, a deadline set by the Iraqi government that coincides
with the end of the international coalition’s military presence in Iraq. The
factions have linked the future of their weapons to the withdrawal of foreign
forces.

The State Administration Coalition, which includes Iraq’s leading
Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political forces, has warned that any armed activity
outside state authority after September 30 will be dealt with under Iraq’s
counterterrorism law.