Maliki says weapons programme and timetable will be announced on September 30

BAGHDAD — A programme and timetable for bringing weapons under state control will be announced on Sept. 30, Nouri al-Maliki told the U.S. chargé d’affaires, giving the first specific date for publishing the plan.

“There is a timeframe and a program that will be announced on Sept. 30 regarding restricting weapons to the state,” the State of Law leader told Steven Fagin, according to his office. The work is being done through the Coordination Framework committee and “must be carried out through dialogue and understanding and in accordance with constitutional and legal frameworks,” he said.

He also said Iraqi territory must not be used to attack neighbouring countries, whether by “Iraqi or non-Iraqi groups,” and that official investigations should be completed before conclusions are drawn. Last week he told the British ambassador that anyone found responsible for the drone attack on Saudi Arabia would be held to account “regardless of the party standing behind it.” The Iraqi government has said the drones were launched from Maysan, and the Badr bloc and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have accused it of accepting the Saudi account too quickly.

Officials have given different dates. A Hikma Movement spokesperson said last week that general principles would be announced in early October and implemented gradually, and the prime minister’s security adviser Qasim al-Araji said there was “no specified period.” Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi told The New York Times this week that armed groups would observe a 90-day halt in attacks from Sept. 30 before handing over weapons, with the process ending by June 30, 2027, which U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said the two governments had agreed.

Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada have resisted handing over weapons while U.S. forces remain. Saraya al-Salam, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Battalions have moved toward compliance.

Fagin said the United States wanted to strengthen economic ties and widen opportunities for American companies, according to Maliki’s office. It is at least his seventh meeting with a senior Iraqi figure since returning this month.