Shafaq News- Baghdad
US envoy Tom Barrack is set to visit Baghdad and Erbil inthe coming hours to discuss political and security issues, a government sourcetold Shafaq News on Saturday.
The visit will address government positions linked to groupsthat expressed willingness to dismantle their military wings and integrate intothe Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Iraq's state-sanctioned securityumbrella. According to the source, the groups insist that their parliamentaryrepresentation entitles them to cabinet posts, including the position of deputyprime minister and a sovereign ministry, demands that continue to faceopposition from Washington.
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Barrack will also review unresolved issues between Baghdadand Erbil, as well as a number of security-related files.
The US envoy’s visit will also help prepare for an upcomingtrip by Prime Minister Al-Zaidi to the United States, “after discussions onproposals aimed at resolving complex outstanding disputes while preservingpower-sharing arrangements,” the source added.
On May 31, US President Donald Trump announced theappointment of Barrack, Washington's ambassador to Ankara, as specialpresidential envoy to Iraq and Syria.
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