Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi government, military and security officials are expected to meet with Coordination Framework (CF) leaders, representatives of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and armed factions within the next two days to discuss bringing weapons under state control ahead of a September 30 deadline, an informed source told Shafaq News on Sunday.

The parties had reached a preliminary agreement to hold the meeting, but the source cautioned that it “does not mean a final agreement has been reached on the mechanism for bringing weapons under state control.” The talks aim to prevent possible escalation and reach understandings on the process. Participants are expected to discuss what would happen to factions’ weapons if they are handed over, which authority would receive them and what guarantees could be provided if the process moves forward.

Last month, the CF, an alliance of major Shiite political forces, formed a three-member committee comprising former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, State of Law Coalition leader Nouri Al-Maliki, and Badr Organization leader Hadi Al-Amiri to address tensions surrounding the issue. The committee has since held talks with the armed factions concerned.

Harakat Al-Nujaba, Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada and other factions have rejected giving up their military capabilities by September 30, the deadline set by the Iraqi government. The date also coincides with the scheduled end of the international coalition’s military presence in Iraq, with the factions linking the future of their weapons to the withdrawal of foreign forces.

Read more: Source: Iraqi factions signal flexibility on disarmament talks

The State Administration Coalition, which brings together Iraq’s main Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political forces, has warned that authorities will address any armed activity outside state control after September 30 under the country’s counterterrorism law.