Six years after it was first proposed, will Iraq form top policy council?
Iraqi political leaders have reintroduced the idea of a Supreme Strategic Policy Council, and a law calling for its formation now has the support of most parliamentary blocs.
BAGHDAD — The idea of forming the Iraqi Supreme Strategic Policy Council has re-emerged nearly six years after first being put forward. Back then, the idea was part of what was called the Erbil Agreement in 2010, upon which the second government of Nouri al-Maliki was formed. However, political differences led the parliament to fail to form the council under the reasoning that there is no constitutional provision for it.
There have been recent discussions between parliamentary blocs to prepare a draft law on the Strategic Policy Council, following the announcement by Maliki on Aug. 23 that an agreement has been made with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to put the proposal back on the table.
