The framework allows Al-Zidi to complete his cabinet, and the latter is proposing a quarter-trillion-dollar project.
A source familiar with the behind-the-scenes details of the recent meeting of the Coordination Framework forces revealed on Wednesday that Prime Minister Ali al-Zidi announced his intention to establish a “sovereign development fund” with a capital of approximately a quarter of a trillion dollars, with Gulf participation. The source also indicated that the assembled forces authorized al-Zidi to freely choose the blocs’ candidates to fill the vacant ministerial portfolios in his government cabinet.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that “the forces of the Coordination Framework, during their last meeting, gave Al-Zidi the green light to complete his government cabinet through dialogue with the parties entitled to occupy ministerial positions.”
He added that “the political blocs will nominate a number of names, and Al-Zaydi will personally choose whomever he deems suitable for the position, especially the Minister of the Interior. The ministries that fall within the share of the parties that have armed factions were also discussed, and Al-Zaydi will also conduct dialogue with them to reach a specific mechanism regarding the nomination of the candidate.”
The source indicated that “this matter will be resolved after Al-Zidi’s visit to Washington, and therefore the completion of the cabinet will be after the end of the legislative recess of the House of Representatives.”
He pointed out that the issue of the mechanism for integrating armed factions into the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the results of the work of the committees overseeing the restriction of weapons to the hands of “both were addressed during the meeting.”
In another part of the meeting, Al-Zaydi revealed his intention to “establish a sovereign development fund that will provide great job opportunities for young people, as it will be allocated to developing infrastructure and implementing important projects, which necessitates employing unemployed youth.”
According to the proposal, “the fund will be initially financed by the Central Bank of Iraq with ten billion dollars, and some Gulf countries will be approached to contribute to this fund through their companies in implementing some projects or entering into investment partnerships in implementing some projects.”
According to the source, “some Gulf countries will raise the ceiling of funding for the fund to about $250 billion.”
Al-Zaydi also reviewed everything related to the proposal in order to discuss it in detail and develop mechanisms for its implementation, as it will contribute to solving a large part of the problem of appointments, in addition to improving the state of infrastructure throughout the country, according to the source.
The Coordination Framework forces held an evening meeting last Monday, the 2nd of this month, during which they authorized the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali al-Zubaidi, to take the decisions and measures “that would preserve the country’s higher interests,” while announcing their support for the project to restrict weapons to the state and to separate the Popular Mobilization Forces from political, partisan, and social frameworks.
The framework stated in a statement received by Shafaq News, following its 279th regular meeting held at the office of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, in the presence of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, that the meeting discussed “a number of priority national and security files.”
Shafaq.com