IRAQ's Interior Minister yesterday pledged to do his part to bring stability to the embattled country, but said the main challenge it faces is political.
Interior Minister Jawad Al Bolani said he needs political support both from within Iraq and from its international allies to do his job.
"We are working hard to improve the trust between the police forces and the public through strengthening their ability to do their jobs," he said.
"This should automatically reduce the influence of the militias.
"The more faith they have in us, the less they will have in the militias.
"The public will begin to understand that the defence and security forces should be the only ones that are legally allowed to carry arms.
"But the key to the stability of Iraq is not only in the area of security, but in the area of politics also.
"The politicians need to play their roles also."
He said Baghdad continues to be a major security problem, but claimed the police have managed to stabilise some parts of it.
Mr Bolani also said that Iraq had managed to achieve a lot of development and rebuilding of its infrastructure despite its security challenges, including the construction of roads, bridges, universities, water projects, facilities for orphans and public services.
He also said Iraq has a lot of policies that encourage investment in the country.
Mr Bolani was speaking on the last day of the three-day Manama Dialogue at a session on The Situation in Iraq.
Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul said his country's security was interlinked with the situation in Iraq, particularly with regards to the Kurdish question.
However, he pledged that Turkey would not interfere in Iraq's internal affairs.
"We respect international laws and international borders," he said.
"These decisions are for the Iraqis to make, although many of them will, of course, have international consequences."
Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Bildt called on the GCC, Iran and Turkey to contribute to improving Iraq's situation.
"It is a lot easier for countries in the region to contribute to instability than it is for far away powers to help stabilise the region," he said. "All the neighbouring countries need to be partners in the process in some way."
Mr Bildt also said that he was against any kind of sanctions against the Iraqi government if it failed to stabilise itself.
"History has shown that sanctions rarely every work and in fact are usually counterproductive," he said. "But having said that, the taxpayers of other countries will have a limited amount of patience, as is normal in democratic countries."
Mr Bildt said this could result in a reduction in Iraq's sources of income if things take too long.
