Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said on Monday his government will convene a National Sovereignty Conference by the end of the year to cement the state's exclusive control over arms, while aiming to complete the disarmament of factions by September 30.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Zaidi noted the conference would formally establish that only the state and its security forces have the authority to bear arms. "There will be no armed groups outside the framework of the state."
The September 30 deadline for disarmament coincides with the scheduled withdrawal of US troops from Iraq under a bilateral security agreement between Baghdad and Washington.