Within two days, al-Zaydi reached an agreement with Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali to implement measures to restrict weapons.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi agreed with delegations from the Asaib Ahl al-Haq movement and the Imam Ali Brigades to form a joint committee to implement measures to restrict weapons to the state within the next two days.
The Prime Minister’s Media Office stated in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that “Al-Zaidi received two delegations from the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq movement and the Imam Ali Brigades, and during the meeting he expressed his thanks and appreciation for the responsible position shown by both Qais al-Khazali and Shibl al-Zaidi, and their contribution to strengthening the path of building the state, through responding to the directives of the Supreme Religious Authority, and supporting the government’s directions and its ministerial program in restricting weapons to the hands of the state, and joining under the banner of the state and the command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
Al-Zaydi stressed, according to the statement, that Iraq is witnessing an important transformation today in light of the great security stability achieved, which makes the current stage a stage of construction, reconstruction and comprehensive development, and requires the combined efforts of all Iraqis to participate in the country’s renaissance and the consolidation of state institutions.
The Prime Minister praised the magnitude of the sacrifices made by the members of the armed forces and security services, in all their formations, during the confrontation of the challenges that threatened the existence of the Iraqi state.
He stressed that “the Popular Mobilization Forces were one of the main factors in achieving security stability, and that its members today represent a fundamental pillar in the process of building and development alongside the rest of the state institutions.”
The statement indicated that the meeting agreed to form a “joint committee to develop appropriate mechanisms for implementing the procedures for disengaging from the Popular Mobilization Forces and restricting weapons to the state within the next two days, in accordance with the constitution and the law, and to strengthen the authority of the state, and to contribute to supporting security and stability and consolidating the project of a strong Iraqi state, capable of achieving the aspirations of its citizens.”
This comes after the Coordination Framework authorized Al-Zaydi to take decisions and measures to preserve the country’s higher interests, while supporting the project to restrict weapons to the state and to separate the Popular Mobilization Forces from political, partisan and social frameworks, in a position that was practically considered a political cover for Al-Zaydi to act on the issue of the factions.
This political movement was strengthened after the leader of the Shiite National Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced the disassociation of the “Peace Brigades” from the movement and their affiliation with the state, and called on the rest of the factions to move away from partisan and sectarian frameworks and join under the authority of the government, a step that al-Zaydi welcomed and called on the other factions to follow.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq also followed this path, as it announced the formation of a central committee to begin procedures for disengaging from the Popular Mobilization Forces formations, inventorying personnel, weapons and vehicles, and organizing mechanisms for liaising with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Then, the Imam Ali Brigades announced a similar decision that includes inventory, handover, transfer and reintegration of affiliates within state institutions.
Informed sources revealed earlier on Wednesday the details of the last meeting held by the leaders of the Coordination Framework in the presence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the head of the committee overseeing the file of disarming armed factions, while indicating that 35,000 job opportunities have been allocated to members of the factions who agree to hand over their weapons.
The sources told Shafaq News Agency that “Al-Zaydi presented to the Coordination Framework the proposals of the Committee for Disarming the Factions, which he heads, which included allocating 35,000 job opportunities in the security and military institutions and the Counter-Terrorism Service, with the door to integrating the elements of the factions to be closed after the number is completed.”
Shafaq.com