U.S. Charge d’Affaires Joshua Harris (left) meets with Iraqi Justice Minister Khalid Shwani at the Ministry of Justice headquarters in Baghdad to discuss legal cooperation, sovereignty and security issues.
US Charge d’Affaires Joshua Harris reiterates militia disarmament stance
BAGHDAD — U.S. Charge d’Affaires Joshua Harris met with Iraqi Justice Minister Khalid Shwani in Baghdad, where U.S. officials reiterated calls for dismantling Iran-backed armed groups during discussions on sovereignty, counterterrorism and regional stability.
In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said the meeting focused on shared interests in safeguarding Iraq’s sovereignty, defeating terrorism and bolstering regional stability. It added that “the United States will continue to speak clearly to the urgency in dismantling Iran-backed militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, threaten Americans and Iraqis, and pilfer Iraqi resources.”
Iraq’s Ministry of Justice said Shwani received the U.S. charge d’affaires at the ministry’s headquarters on Wednesday, where they discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between Iraq and the United States in legal and judicial fields.
The talks come as Iraqi political debate continues over restricting weapons to state authority and dismantling armed factions operating outside government control. The Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee said earlier this month it rejects any discussion of disarmament “even with the government” until what it described as “full sovereignty for the country” is achieved and all forms of foreign presence end.
“The weapon of the resistance is a sacred weapon,” the group said, adding that “dialogue regarding it, even with the government, will only take place after achieving full sovereignty for the country and freeing it from all forms of occupation and its threats.”
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Jan. 4 that limiting weapons to state authority is “an Iraqi decision and an Iraqi vision,” describing it as part of the government program and linking it to steps such as ending the international coalition’s mission and concluding the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.
On Nov. 30, U.S. Special Envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya said Iraq has a “historic opportunity” to disarm non-state actors, warning that weapons outside state control threaten stability and economic growth.