PM Al-Zaidi launches sovereignty phase, sets weapons-control timetable
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi on Thursday declared that Iraq had entered a new “sovereignty phase,” saying the end of the US-led Coalition mission would be followed by steps to consolidate state authority over the country’s territory, weapons, and security decisions.
Speaking at a “Sovereignty Day” conference in Baghdad, Al-Zaidi said sovereignty meant extending state authority across the country and ensuring that security and military decisions were governed by the constitution and state institutions.
Read more: Iraq's Sovereignty Days: Coalition mission ends, factions keep their weapons
“The sovereignty that Iraq has regained today is embodied in a set of national realities that have been completed,” he said.
The first, Al-Zaidi said, was the withdrawal of foreign forces and the complete end of the US-led Global Coalition’s military mission in Iraq on September 30.
The second was an agreement on the withdrawal of Turkish forces and members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), alongside ending the presence of foreign armed groups on Iraqi territory.
Al-Zaidi identified the unification of Peshmerga forces as a third component, saying it would strengthen unified security and military decision-making in Iraq.
He also pledged to end the presence of any foreign armed opposition groups on Iraqi territory and prevent the country from being used as a launchpad for attacks against neighboring states.
On Iraq’s armed factions, Al-Zaidi said sovereignty also required bringing weapons under state control in accordance with the constitution and law.
The government, he said, would follow an agreed timetable to address the status of the factions and integrate them into state institutions. He praised groups that had already committed to the process and urged the remaining factions to follow.
“We expect the same commitment from the others in a way that serves the interests of our people and strengthens the authority and standing of the state,” he said.
Al-Zaidi had previously set June 30, 2027, as the deadline for completing the process of bringing weapons outside state control under state authority.
The sixth element of the sovereignty plan, he said, was the start of building an integrated national air-defense system aimed at strengthening Iraq’s ability to protect its airspace and national sovereignty.
