Al-Maliki meets US envoy after reported nomination for third term

BAGHDAD — Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, met in Baghdad on Wednesday with the U.S. chargé d’affaires in Iraq, Joshua Harris.  According to a statement from al-Maliki’s media office, the two discussed bilateral relations and regional and international developments. The statement said the meeting focused on enhancing cooperation and activating the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.

The meeting follows the reported nomination of al-Maliki for a third term. Al-Maliki served as prime minister from 2006 to 2014. He secured a second term after the 2010 election but stepped down in 2014 under intense domestic and international pressure following the collapse of Iraqi army positions and the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State group.

Al-Maliki said, “National forces are determined to fulfill constitutional obligations within their timelines,” and emphasized that “building a strong, stable state requires weapons to be in the hands of the state and the rule of law to be strengthened.”

The meeting followed a series of talks between Harris and senior leaders in Baghdad and Erbil.

Harris met with Kurdistan Democratic Party President Masoud Barzani in Erbil on Tuesday, emphasizing that the “Iran-backed terrorist militias that flout Iraqi calls for disarmament have no place in Iraq’s government in any capacity.”

Earlier this week, Joshua Harris met with Hikma Movement leader Ammar al-Hakim to discuss “the shared interests of safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, defeating terrorism, bolstering regional security, and strengthening economic ties that deliver benefits for Americans and Iraqis,” according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.