http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060512/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bushWASHINGTON - President Bush said Friday that militias are the biggest roadblock to Iraq's effort to getting a unity government up and running, a goal that would help bolster the president's sagging approval ratings over its handling of the war.
Bush spoke at the White House where he met with 10 former secretaries of state and defense from both Republican and Democratic administrations to discuss Iraq and the broader Middle East.
"Perhaps the main challenge is the militia that tend to take the law into their own hands and it's going to be up to the government to step up and take care of that militia so that the Iraqi people are confident in the security of their country," Bush said.
Iraqi officials plan to restructure police forces in the capital under the newly formed National Police force to rein in militias and death squads.
"It's important to have a secure Iraq in order for people to go about their daily lives," Bush said.
President Bush, center, speaks with the members of media after participating in a meeting, Friday, May 12, 2006. Left to right are Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)