Iraqi president says monopoly on arms by state is a national decision

BAGHDAD, Iraq — President Abdul Latif Rashid said at a panel during the eighth Baghdad Dialogue Conference that the concentration of weapons in the hands of the state is a national and constitutional decision on which the Constitution, the religious authority, political forces and the public are aligned. Rashid said the State Administration Coalition has declared full support for the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and that Iraq will not accept the use of its territory against any state. He said the weapons file must be resolved without bloodshed, internal conflict or turning the country into a platform for regional wars. On the Peshmerga, Rashid described the force as constitutional and regular, alongside the army, the Popular Mobilization Forces and other security services, and said it is not a party to the debate over arms. He added that the region's war is not Iraq's, but the country has paid security and economic costs because of its geography and its links with Iran. On oil and gas, Rashid identified the absence of a law regulating petroleum revenues as the main source of disagreement between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region. He did not elaborate further. According to the political calendar, September 30 is seen as a decisive date for the process of consolidating weapons within official institutions, with security forces raising their readiness level and the leave of some commanders suspended in anticipation of possible developments. No further details were immediately available.