Baghdad: The head of the National State Forces Alliance, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, emphasized on Sunday the importance of dialogue and understanding to resolve regional problems and control weapons.

According to Iraqi News Agency, a statement indicated that Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim received the Charg© d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Iraq, Joshua Harris, at his office in Baghdad, and discussed bilateral relations between the two countries. Sayyid Al-Hakim stressed the importance of translating agreements into practical action plans and wished the Charg© d’Affaires success in his future endeavors upon the completion of his mission in Iraq.

He also addressed the nature of the challenges facing Iraq, explaining that the economic challenge and the financial liquidity crisis are at the forefront of these challenges due to regional events and escalations. He called for adopting dialogue to resolve outstanding issues. Sayyid Al-Hakim emphasized adopting a language of understanding and dialogue as a means to ensure that weapons are solely in the hands of the state. He noted that weapons of the factions contributed to confronting ISIS and that thousands of martyrs sacrificed their lives to liberate the land and restore stability.

Al-Hakim stated that weapons should be handed over to the Popular Mobilization Forces, as it is an official government institution, and it is important to include all those who fall under the category of those bearing arms outside the framework of the state.

In a separate meeting, Sayyid Al-Hakim’s media office reported that he also received the British Ambassador to Iraq, Irfan Siddiq, at his office in Baghdad and discussed bilateral relations and ways to develop them to serve mutual interests of the two friendly peoples. Sayyid Hakim called for adopting dialogue and understanding to resolve the region’s problems, stressing the importance of restoring stability and calm.

He confirmed that Iraq faces an economic challenge due to regional events, emphasizing the importance of utilizing this period to diversify income sources and export outlets through a network of pipelines extending across the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. He reiterated the need to adopt dialogue on the issue of restricting weapons to the state and handing over weapons to the Popular Mobilization Forces, as it is an official institution within the state’s institutions.