Maliki to Harris: The need to “control weapons” and complete constitutional requirements
On Wednesday, Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, stressed to Joshua Harris, the acting US ambassador to Iraq, the need to restrict weapons, and also discussed with him the issue of constitutional entitlements.
This came during Al-Maliki’s reception of Harris at his office today. According to a statement from his office received by Shafaq News Agency, the meeting included “discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, with the aim of serving the interests of the two friendly peoples. The two sides also reviewed developments in regional and international affairs.”
According to the statement, Maliki expressed “Iraq’s desire to continue cooperation and establish strong relations and a partnership with the United States by activating the Strategic Framework Agreement concluded between the two countries.”
Al-Maliki stated that “the national forces are determined to complete the constitutional requirements within their constitutional timeframes,” stressing that “building a strong and stable state requires restricting weapons to the state and strengthening the rule of law.”
For his part, Joshua Harris expressed his hope to “work on strengthening cooperation between Baghdad and Washington in a way that contributes to supporting security and stability in Iraq and the region.”
Zuhair al-Jalabi, a member of the State of Law Coalition, told Shafaq News Agency on December 3, 2025, that his leader, Nouri al-Maliki, was the only person capable of disarming the armed factions of their “heavy” weapons, due to their trust in him.
Al-Jalabi explained that “the armed factions, as well as the Popular Mobilization Forces, trust al-Maliki, and when al-Maliki assumes the premiership, he can negotiate the withdrawal of heavy weapons by the factions.”
He pointed out that “the factions trust Maliki and do not trust anyone else, which enables him to succeed in this matter, unlike all the heads of government who did not succeed in it, and this point can help Maliki in supporting his obtaining a third term.”
For years, the Iraqi government has been grappling with the issue of “weapons outside the framework of the state,” asserting that the proliferation of medium and heavy weapons among some factions poses a challenge to strengthening stability and establishing the rule of law.
The outgoing Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, believes that disarming the armed factions is linked to the presence of the international coalition in Iraq, which some factions consider an occupying force.
He explained, during an interview with Reuters, that Iraq is committed to putting all weapons under state control, and that the future program will include integrating factions into the security forces or politics by surrendering their weapons.
Meanwhile, Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition, says that “the armed factions have expressed their desire to integrate into state institutions and hand over their heavy weapons.”
For its part, the United States continues its repeated calls to Baghdad to ensure that armed factions are controlled and that attacks targeting US forces or interests are reduced, while affirming its support for the government’s efforts to strengthen security institutions.
Shafaq.com