ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has reaffirmed his government’s determination to bring weapons held by armed groups under state authority, after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York on Monday amid mounting pressure on Baghdad to dismantle armed factions.
The two met on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the future of US-Iraq relations and the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Zaidi “reiterated the government’s determination to fulfill its sovereign responsibilities and move forward with measures to ensure that all arms remain under state authority, in accordance with constitutional and legal principles,” his media office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the US State Department said Monday that Rubio and Zaidi “agreed on the importance of Iraq dismantling terrorist militias, preventing attacks from Iraqi territory, and fully exercising its sovereignty.”
Rubio also expressed US support for the Iraqi government’s efforts to strengthen state institutions, domestic stability and economic development, according to the Prime Minister's office.
The meeting comes ahead of the September 30 deadline for the withdrawal of US-led Coalition forces from Iraq, while Baghdad’s parallel effort to bring armed groups under state control remains unresolved.
Qasim al-Araji, Zaidi’s security adviser, said last week that there is no deadline for completing the weapons-control process.
“There is no deadline for bringing weapons under state control,” Araji told Rudaw, adding that dialogue with armed groups was continuing in a “positive atmosphere.”
“The process needs time,” he said, noting that a committee formed by the Coordination Framework was working under Zaidi’s direct supervision.
Several armed groups have expressed willingness to surrender their weapons, while others, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, have rejected calls to disarm.
Araji said that once weapons are fully brought under state control, anyone continuing to carry arms illegally would face strict legal measures and be treated as an outlaw under Iraqi law.
