Baghdad: Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, emphasized on Wednesday the necessity of addressing the issue of state control of weapons without escalation or confrontation.

According to Iraqi News Agency, during a meeting with a number of political analysts and experts, Maliki stated, “Iraq is going through a sensitive phase that requires a high degree of wisdom and responsibility.” He pointed to “attempts to ignite conflicts in the political arena and disrupt the situation, at a time when the Coordination Framework continues to support the government, out of concern for the country’s stability and its higher interests.”

He stressed “the necessity of addressing the issue of state control of weapons without escalation or confrontation,” warning that “turning this issue into a clash between the state and factions would be extremely dangerous and could threaten Iraq’s stability and open the door to divergent political positions.”

Maliki further pointed out that “any internal confrontation will be a loss for the whole of Iraq, not just one party or component,” noting that “whoever imagines that any potential conflict will be ‘Shia-Shia’ is mistaken, because its repercussions will affect the state, society and all components.”