Coordination Framework forms committee on weapons, Maliki tells US envoy

BAGHDAD — Nouri al-Maliki told the U.S. chargé d’affaires on Tuesday that the Coordination Framework has formed a committee that will begin working with the government on mechanisms for bringing weapons under state control.

The committee will start soon in coordination with the government, with the aim of identifying how to implement the process, Maliki’s office said after his meeting with Joshua Harris. Maliki stressed “the importance of addressing this issue through dialogue and understanding, in a way that guarantees unity of the national position and preserves Iraq’s security and stability,” and said “the state and its constitutional institutions are the reference point in managing security and military files.”

The two also discussed relations between Iraq and the United States under the Strategic Framework Agreement, Maliki’s office said, with Harris praising his political role and contributions to stability and stressing continued cooperation between the two countries.

The Coordination Framework described restricting weapons to the state as a national demand at its meeting on Monday, attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, which also reviewed the government’s first 100 days. Zaidi has set Sept. 30, when the U.S.-led coalition mission ends, as the date for bringing all weapons under state control.