Shafaq News..Iraqi factions demand nationwide weapons law

Shafaq News-
Baghdad

Iraqi armed
factions have called for a nationwide law governing weapons outside state
control, insisting that any measures apply across Iraq and not exclusively to
Shiite groups, as plans move forward to form a committee to draft the
legislation, a source told Shafaq News on Friday.

The demand
was raised in talks with the Coordination Framework, Iraq’s main alliance of
Shiite political forces, which has formed a committee to negotiate with armed
factions over the weapons issue, according to the source. Several faction
leaders reportedly argued that parliament should establish a clear legal
framework for the process, with the state responsible for its implementation
rather than placing the issue solely in the prime minister’s hands.

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The proposed
framework would cover tribal weapons in southern and central Iraq, arms held by
tribes and armed groups in western areas, those held by the Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK), and other weapons outside state institutions. The factions argue
that a single nationwide framework would “prevent restrictions from being
applied selectively.”

A committee,
the source added, is expected to draft legislation governing the control and
regulation of weapons before the proposed law undergoes legal review and is
submitted to parliament for a vote with the participation of political forces.

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