Al-Zaidi handed “extensive” report on armed factions

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s office has received an “extensive report” proposing ways to address the issue of armed factions and restrict weapons to state control across the country, a Coordination Framework (CF) source told Shafaq News on Sunday.

Prepared at Al-Zaidi’s request, the report details the findings of the committee tasked with negotiating with the factions and proposed measures aimed at preserving what the source described as “the authority of the state and the rights of those factions.”

The committee brings together former prime ministers Nouri Al-Maliki, who leads the State of Law Coalition, and Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani; Badr Organization leader Hadi Al-Amiri; and Islamic Supreme Council head Humam Hamoudi, who recently joined the panel.

Read more: Iraq factions resist disarmament as coalition exit nears

Separately, leaders of the CF, an alliance of predominantly Shiite political forces, are scheduled to meet on Monday, with tensions between Iraq and Saudi Arabia among the main issues on the agenda following Riyadh’s claim that drones launched from Iraq’s Maysan province targeted a Saudi oil pipeline.

The meeting will also address efforts to fill remaining government posts, including progress on candidates for vacant ministries and independent bodies, as well as Iraq’s economic situation and the energy and fuel crisis, the source added.