Iraq’s judiciary backs government plan for state control over weapons
Head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council Faiq Zidan said the judiciary supports government efforts to restrict weapons to state control. He made the statement in Baghdad during a meeting with the new US chargé d’affaires in Iraq, Steven Fagin, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
The Coordination Framework’s plan
A statement by the Supreme Judicial Council said that Zidan and Fagin discussed the role of the judicial system in supporting the government program aimed at restricting weapons to state control. This process is to take place under a carefully prepared plan approved by the Coordination Framework, a political alliance.
To prepare the plan, the alliance established a committee. The document is to be released after the work is completed and at an appropriate time. According to the council, the plan is intended to promote compliance with Iraq’s constitution and laws and maintain the country’s positive relations with the international community.
Legal and political sources previously reported that Iraq’s judiciary is inclined to designate militias as terrorist organizations if they do not lay down their weapons by the deadline for the withdrawal of international coalition forces. Leaders of the Coordination Framework also planned to discuss the issue of state control over weapons, completing the government’s formation, and proposed amendments to the Popular Mobilization Forces law.
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Positions of the groups
The deadline for the withdrawal of US-led international coalition forces is set for September 30. Against this backdrop, uncertainty remains over the disarmament of groups that the publication describes as linked to Iran. Washington has pressured Baghdad in recent months to resolve the issue and warned of possible economic and political sanctions.
A source close to the Coordination Framework said that the government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had softened its previous rhetoric on disarmament, while armed groups have increasingly rejected the demand. Among the groups offering the strongest resistance, the publication names Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
Firas Ilyas, a political science lecturer at the University of Mosul, believes that September 30 is unlikely to become the date for a complete handover of weapons. In his view, the process may involve classifying groups and weapons, integrating or redistributing some fighters, and placing heavy weapons, drones, and missiles under state oversight.
