Sudani meets Nujaba as three-man committee takes up weapons file

BAGHDAD — Former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met a delegation from Harakat al-Nujaba on Sunday, one of three factions refusing to disarm, as a committee of senior Coordination Framework figures takes up proposals on the weapons issue.

Sources have told 964media that the Framework’s discussions produced a committee of Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri, Sudani and State of Law leader Nouri al-Maliki to consider ways of resolving it, formed after the visit of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Sudani received the delegation with his coalition’s political bureau chief, Haider al-Fawadi, his office said. The two sides discussed security and political developments and stressed “the importance of supporting the state and strengthening its authority, and adopting dialogue and de-escalation as a means of confronting challenges and resolving disputes.”

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has set Sept. 30, when the U.S.-led coalition mission ends, as the date for bringing all weapons under state control, and the governing coalition said this month that armed activity outside state authority after that date would be treated under the Anti-Terrorism Law. Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada have refused to disarm; Saraya al-Salam, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Battalions have moved to comply.