Shafaq News- Washington
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidisaid on Tuesday that the government had received weapons from some armedfactions, with restricting arms to the state a core pillar of his government'sprogram.
Speaking at a joint news conferencewith US President Donald Trump in Washington, Al-Zaidi stressed that thegovernment would continue efforts to ensure that only the state bears armswhile cooperating with factions that choose to enter the political process.
: How the US pushed Iraq's armed factions toward disarmament
Al-Zaidi added that Iraqi securityforces were fully capable of assuming responsibility for the country's securityafter the Global Coalition against ISIS ends its mission in Iraq in lateSeptember. Terrorism, he said, had cost Iraq more than $400 billion andrevealed that the government had developed a plan to return the remaininginternally displaced people to their homes.
He also highlighted ongoing effortswith the United States to strengthen economic cooperation, explaining that hisvisit to Washington was aimed at discussing the future of bilateral relations.
Turning to relations with theKurdistan Region, Al-Zaidi said, “I look at Iraq as a body, and each part ofIraq is part of my own body…I would never distinguish between any organ.”
The PM arrived in Washington onMonday at the head of a high-level delegation comprising ministers, seniorofficials, investors, and business leaders for a seven-day official visit.
: Al-Zaidi at the White House: A sustainable partnership or continued crisis management?
This is a developing story…