SAVAYA IS PLEASED WITH THE FACTIONS’ MOVEMENTS AND STIPULATES A COMPLETE AND IRREVERSIBLE DISARMAMENT

SAVAYA IS PLEASED WITH THE FACTIONS’ MOVEMENTS AND STIPULATES A COMPLETE AND IRREVERSIBLE DISARMAMENT

“Statements alone are not enough.”

Mark Savaya, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Iraq, welcomed the move by some Iraqi armed groups toward disarmament, considering it an encouraging development that responds to calls from religious authorities. However, he stressed that statements alone are not enough, calling for a comprehensive and irreversible disarmament process implemented within a binding national framework that enshrines the state’s monopoly on the use of force. He warned that Iraq stands at a critical crossroads between consolidating sovereignty and stability, or remaining trapped in a cycle of disintegration and uncontrolled weapons.

The reported steps taken by some Iraqi armed groups toward disarmament are a welcome and encouraging development. This represents a positive response to the persistent calls and aspirations of our religious authorities and esteemed scholars and leaders. I express my deepest appreciation and gratitude for their wisdom, moral leadership, and principled guidance, which continues to serve as a guiding compass for the nation.

At the same time, statements alone are not enough. Disarmament must be comprehensive, irreversible, and implemented within a clear and binding national framework.

This process must also include the complete dismantling of all armed groups and ensure an orderly and legal transition of their members to civilian life.

According to the Iraqi Constitution and the rule of law, no political party, organization, or individual has the right to possess or operate armed formations outside the authority of the state. This principle applies throughout Iraq without exception. The exclusive authority to bear arms and use force must remain solely with the legitimate federal and regional institutions entrusted with organizing, commanding, and managing the armed forces to protect the Iraqi people and defend the country’s sovereignty.

Iraq stands today at a crucial crossroads: either it moves forward on the path of sovereignty, stability, prosperity, unity and the rule of law, or it remains trapped in a spiral of disintegration and insecurity, where illegal armed groups exploit state resources for personal interests and foreign agendas, further undermining state authority.