Page 7 - MEOG Week 21

MEOG Commentary MEOG
Ghaani and former Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by the US on January 3.
There are also posters of Abu Mahdi al-Mu- handis, the PMU military leader who also was killed on January 3, and other leaders of pro-Iran forces in Iraq and the region.
The relationship between al-Kadhimi and Iran-backed military factions in the PMU has been rocky since al-Kadhimi was appointed as chief of the intelligence service in 2016.
The factions were the greatest obstacle when it came to al-Kadhimi being approved as prime minister; still, a pro-Iranian PMU leader, Hadi al-Amiri, participated in the ceremony when Iraqi President Barham Salih requested al-Ka- dhimi to form a government, as a sign of respect.
In his visit with the PMU leaders, al-Kadhimi said the PMU is an Iraqi institution under the Iraqi state. “The PMU is for Iraq and all Iraqis, it is not for anyone else. ... PMU loyalty is to Iraq,” he added.
He also emphasised the role of top Iraqi Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani in forming the PMU, which was read as criticism against some PMU fac- tions that express loyalty to the Iranian supreme leader.
The staging conveyed a political message as well, with al-Kadhimi positioned in front between two lines of PMU leaders. One line had leaders of PMU factions known to be close to Khamenei and the other had PMU leaders known to be close to al-Sistani.
Some pro-Sistani PMU factions left the PMU a few weeks ago after long disputes with the other part of the PMU. Adel Abdul Mahdi announced
in his last days in office as prime minister that these factions were to be under his direct super- vision until a new home was prepared for them.
Al-Kadhimi tried to unite the PMU again, but is giving more support to the pro-Sistani factions in order to provide balance in the organisation.
Al-Kadhimi’s good relationship with al-Sis- tani will offer him a chance to reform the PMU, but controlling the pro-Iran factions will remain a serious challenge.
The only way to rein in the PMU is to imple- ment the PMU law passed in 2016 and the 2019 PMU decree issued by Abdul Mahdi. Al-Ka- dhimi emphasised the necessity of implement- ing the PMU law, encouraging PMU militias to submit to it. “Protecting you is my responsibility. ... The PMU law is the framework that protects the PMU,” he said.
The PMU law calls for all factions to be under the control of the prime minister and forbids them from any other activities outside those of the Iraqi state. It also forbids them from political and economic activities.
Several pro-Iran PMU factions partici- pated in the 2018 elections and formed the sec- ond-largest coalition, Fatah, despite the attempts by the then prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, to prevent this under the PMU law. Indeed, Amiri is the leader of Fatah. Many factions also are involved in economic activities in the country.
Finally, al-Kadhimi’s achievements when it comes to the PMU will clearly depend on his ability to implement the PMU law fully, which would change the nature of many factions from religious militias to state military forces. This will not be not an easy or quickly executed task.™
Week 21 27•May•2020 w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m P7