Al-Zaidi in Washington: Iraq receives weapons from armed factions
Shafaq News- Washington
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi said on Tuesday that the government had received weapons from some armed factions, with restricting arms to the state a core pillar of his government's program.
Speaking at a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump in Washington, Al-Zaidi stressed that the government would continue efforts to ensure that only the state bears arms while cooperating with factions that choose to enter the political process.
“It is to restrict the possession of weapons to the state,” he said. “This is a decision. It is not an option.”
Read more: How the US pushed Iraq's armed factions toward disarmament
Al-Zaidi added that Iraqi security forces were fully capable of assuming responsibility for the country's security after the Global Coalition against ISIS ends its mission in Iraq in late September, while American companies would continue operating in the country. He said terrorism had cost Iraq more than $400 billion and revealed that the government had developed a plan to return the remaining internally displaced people to their homes.
On internal security, Al-Zaidi emphasized that national decisions would remain "in the hands of Iraqis only."
He also noted that his Washington visit focused on the future of US-Iraq relations, which he said would prioritize economic cooperation over military ties. “This visit was not just a visit…It is an announcement of an economic partnership.”
Turning to relations with the Kurdistan Region, Al-Zaidi said, “I look at Iraq as a body, and each part of Iraq is part of my own body…I would never distinguish between any organ.”
The PM arrived in Washington on Monday at the head of a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials, investors, and business leaders for a seven-day official visit.
Read more: Al-Zaidi at the White House: A sustainable partnership or continued crisis management?
