Iraqi president: weapons monopoly decision must be implemented away from external interference

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi President Nechirvan Barzani (referred to in Turkish sources as Nezar Amidi) said the decision to place weapons under the monopoly of the state is a constitutional and national imperative, and must be carried out by the government without outside interference or conflict. Speaking at a session on the sidelines of the 8th Baghdad Dialogue Conference in the capital, Barzani said the Constitution, the religious authorities in Najaf, the political forces and the people all back the principle. He noted that the State Administration Alliance has announced full support for the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces on consolidating the weapons monopoly, and added that Iraq would not accept the use of its territory against any country. Barzani described the Peshmerga as part of the country's constitutional and regular armed structure alongside the army, the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) and the security services, adding that the Peshmerga is not a party to the weapons dispute. The president warned all sides against dragging Iraq into conflict, saying the country was weary of war and the dispute unfolding inside it was not the nation's own war. He also pointed to the long-stalled oil and gas law, which has not yet been enacted, as one of the main causes of unresolved disputes between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region. No further details on a timetable or mechanism for implementing the weapons-monopoly decision were immediately available.