No timeframe for bringing weapons under state control, Araji says

BAGHDAD — There is no set period for completing the policy of bringing weapons under state control, the prime minister’s security adviser said, ten weeks after the prime minister told President Donald Trump there would be no justification for armed factions after Sept. 30.

“There is no specified period for restricting weapons to the state,” Qasim al-Araji said, rejecting reports that a deadline had been set for the committee handling the file, which was formed by the Coordination Framework and works under the prime minister’s direct supervision.

The penalty is preserved but deferred. “Once all the work of the committee formed by the Coordination Framework, which operates under the direct supervision of the prime minister, is completed and weapons are fully restricted to the state, anyone carrying weapons illegally will then be treated under the law as an outlaw, strict legal measures will be taken against them, and they will be treated as terrorists,” he said — attaching the terrorism framing to an event with no date.

The position has moved steadily since July. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said in Washington that there would be no justification for armed factions after Sept. 30, and the governing coalition said in August that armed activity after that date could be treated under the Anti-Terrorism Law. Araji then said the date applied to the coalition withdrawal and marked the start of talks. Nouri al-Maliki said this month that disarmament was no longer the term being used, Harakat al-Nujaba said the Framework had dropped the call to restrict weapons in favour of regulating them, and a Hikma Movement spokesperson said the government would announce general principles in early October and implement them gradually, with the factions having submitted written demands.

Maliki said last week that faction leaders had responded to the committee, calling for a comprehensive and balanced approach soon and saying security matters should be handled through state institutions while avoiding confrontation. Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada continue to refuse the process; Saraya al-Salam, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Battalions have moved toward compliance.