BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi is expected to chair talks with armed faction leaders on weapons management and security guarantees for more than 40 US companies.
The meeting is expected after Al-Zaidi returns from Washington. A four-member committee from the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework will join faction leaders who have resisted surrendering their weapons.
Iran’s ambassador or another Iranian representative is also expected to attend, the source said. Washington has asked Al-Zaidi for guarantees that US companies entering Iraq for investment projects will not face attacks by armed groups.
The discussions will also cover the regulation, storage and management of faction weapons. The talks have a September 30 deadline associated with the US-led Coalition’s military presence.
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Another proposal would integrate faction members into the Popular Mobilisation Forces within three months. Faction leaders currently oppose that plan but could reconsider it during negotiations.
Abdul Rahman Al-Jazairi, a senior member of the Al-Qasam Movement within former prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition, said four faction leaders want parliament to legislate weapons management.
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He said they seek a legal framework that would preserve faction rights under a single designation within the Popular Mobilisation Forces.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi is expected to chair talks with armed faction leaders over weapons management and security guarantees for more than 40 US companies, Shafaq News.
