In a phone call with US President Donald Trump, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi discussed developments in the situation in the region, and reaffirmed Iraq's position calling for respecting the sovereignty of states and not using Iraqi lands as a launching pad for attacks on the neighborhood.
Al-Zaidi stressed the importance of continuing consultation between Baghdad and Washington on issues of common concern. He also stressed the necessity of adopting peaceful solutions and constructive dialogue to maintain the security of the region.
The Prime Minister's Office said, in a statement yesterday (Thursday), that Al-Zaidi and Trump stressed the importance of working to confront the current challenges, in a way that supports regional stability, while giving priority to the language of dialogue and diplomacy.
In addition, an Iraqi legal expert revealed yesterday that a new draft of the “Popular Mobilization Forces” law deleted commercial and civil powers from the old text, which factions are demanding its legislation and are attacking the government for amending it. However, despite this, a government source told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the law is still legitimate and has not been sent to Parliament yet,” without disclosing the points of disagreement with the armed factions.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed, “We will not accept anyone sharing our sovereignty with us; So that we do not pay again for the mistakes of the past,” stressing that “Lebanon is an independent and sovereign state.”
Aoun’s position coincided with the international “Friends of Lebanon” renewing their support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, calling on members of Parliament and parties to “declare their commitment that the state alone has the right to make decisions about war and peace.”
Lebanon's official pledge to implement the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of official institutions, and the monopoly of peace and war decisions, but Hezbollah rejects these decisions and reiterates its adherence to its weapons.
On Thursday, Aoun stressed that Lebanon is “an independent and sovereign state,” stressing that “we will not accept that anyone share our sovereignty.” So that we do not pay again for the mistakes of the past,” he called on those who “strengthen themselves abroad against their countrymen, to strengthen their families against those abroad.”
Aoun considered that “positive neutrality is necessary to neutralize Lebanon from the conflicts in the region. This country has had enough of what it has endured until today, and it is no longer able to bear more pivotal differences, ambitions, and desires for hegemony.”
Aoun called on “the young generation in Lebanon to realize the value of what their country represents, and this will only happen through education in citizenship and openness to civilizations and cultures, not isolation and dependence,” pointing out that “neutralizing Lebanon from foreign ambitions and fortifying national unity protects the Lebanese entity at a time when the region is going through a stage of loss as a result of rapid military and political developments.”
International support for Lebanon’s decisions
The Lebanese pledges received international support, the most recent of which was a position issued by the “Friends of Lebanon” that affirmed support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the state.
According to a statement distributed by the American embassy in Beirut, the embassies of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Canada and Japan in Beirut said: “As friends of Lebanon, we affirm our strong support for the government of Lebanon in ensuring the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the state, and that the state alone is the decision maker in matters of war and peace.”
The “Friends of Lebanon” embassies added: “We take note of the steps taken by the Lebanese authorities in the Dahr al-Baydar case, and we encourage a quick and independent judicial process, free from any political interference, to ensure full accountability.”
The embassies said in the statement: “It is also necessary for Lebanon, in light of the current circumstances, to obtain a public and clear commitment from all members of the House of Representatives and all parties confirming their support for the statements of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister that the Lebanese state alone has the right to make decisions about war and peace.”
It reiterated its emphasis “on our firm desire for the Lebanese state to regain its full effective sovereign authority over all its territories.”
Hezbollah defends explosives
On the other hand, Hezbollah defends the shipment of explosives seized by security forces in the Dahr al-Baydar area in eastern Lebanon last month, and the party’s parliamentary bloc (Loyalty to the Resistance) stressed “the necessity of stopping the accusatory and media debate and making way for wise national solutions.”
She said in a statement: “The bloc registers its denunciation and condemnation of all political positions that denied the sacred right of the Lebanese to defend their homeland and resist the enemy, and went beyond the logic of the constitution and national legal assumptions.”
The bloc renewed its criticism of the Lebanese state's negotiating path with Israel, and demanded that it withdraw from it. She said in the statement: “As the Zionist enemy continues to practice its described crime of destroying, burning and blowing up villages and property in southern Lebanon, and threatens to expand its aggression into Lebanese territory to annex new areas to its occupation, and the fever of threats to escalate the war, strikes and assassinations against the resistance and its leaders rises, all of this is taking place while the authority continues its cold indifferent performance and its disastrous behavior in its insistence on continuing the approach of direct negotiation on the details of the provisions of the ill-fated framework, which has been proven to everyone to be It brought nothing but disasters and more devastation and destruction to Lebanon.”
The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced, on Thursday, the strengthening of military deployment on the defensive line, west of the country, at a time when the President of the Government stressed the development of military manufacturing production in the country.
The media spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, Major General Yahya Rasul Abdullah, said in a statement, “The units of the Al-Jazeera and Western Nineveh Operations Commands have begun strengthening their deployment on the defensive line (Rawa - Al-Hadar) to impose security and stability in the Al-Jazeera areas north of the Euphrates and towards the Nineveh and Salah al-Din governorates.”
He explained, “This deployment aims to (control the desert areas and pursue the remaining terrorist elements, and prevent them from using the desert as a refuge, in addition to securing a shortcut for the movement of citizens and commercial movement, which contributes to supporting investment and agricultural activities.”
Rasoul stressed, “The army units will continue to perform their duties in controlling the desert areas within the operational sectors and providing security and stability in the service of our people and our dear country.”
Simultaneously, on Thursday, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ali Al-Zaidi, made a visit to the Military Industrialization Authority, to view models of military equipment that it said it had succeeded in manufacturing or developing, and which included different types of light, medium, and heavy equipment and weapons, drone systems, and monitoring and surveillance devices.
Al-Zaidi stressed, according to a statement from his media office, support for the development of national military industries, and directed him to involve the private sector and expand partnerships with specialized companies, stressing that Iraq has the ability to manufacture its needs of weapons and equipment with national hands and expertise.
The Prime Minister's Office stated that Al-Zaidi stressed that building an advanced military industry represents an essential pillar of national sovereignty, and enhances Iraq's ability to protect its security and interests, stressing the importance of paying attention to research and development, and keeping pace with technological acceleration in military industries.
He praised “the level of development achieved by the Authority, and the capabilities and expertise it possesses that qualify it to be an advanced industrial base, directed at providing all requirements and needs necessary to develop its production and technical capabilities, in order to meet the needs of our armed forces for weapons and military equipment, and enhance reliance on national production.”
This body, which is linked to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, was established pursuant to Law No. 25 of 2019, with the aim of rebuilding a base for military industries and meeting the needs of the armed forces and security services.
However, the first nucleus of military industrialization in Iraq began during the 1970s, and expanded significantly during the 1980s war with Iran. However, the arsenal and infrastructure collapsed during the 1991 Gulf War and international sanctions in the 1990s.
