Iraqi Sunni Arab conference preparatory committee calls for broad national dialogue

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The preparatory committee for an Iraqi Sunni Arab conference announced on Sunday its aim to launch a wide-ranging Sunni Arab dialogue and establish a shared platform for discussing the country's future. In a written statement, the committee described the continued presence of weapons in the hands of groups outside constitutional institutions as an "existential and security threat" to citizens and the state. The committee expressed concern that the September 30 commitment to consolidate weapons under state authority has shifted into rhetoric of "regulation and inclusion." It warned that armed groups operating under the pretext of protecting the political order could target any province without constitutional oversight, and reiterated its firm rejection of Iraq becoming part of any regional project or a launching point for attacks against neighboring countries and the Kurdistan Region. The committee said the initiative goes beyond temporary electoral alliances or power-sharing arrangements, proposing instead an independent "council of minds" bringing together academics, politicians, tribal figures, civil society representatives and youth. It suggested holding the conference in a neutral city such as Erbil, Amman, Damascus, Abu Dhabi or Ankara, and said constitutional options including federalism, expanded decentralization and a centralized state structure would be put on the table. The committee also called on the United Nations and the international community to review Iraq's political partnership arrangements. No further details on the timeline or venue of the proposed conference were immediately available.