Australia says Iraq needs stronger political will

CANBERRA, Nov 1 (Reuters) The Iraqi government needed a stronger political will to tackle militia violence in Baghdad, Australia's military commander Angus Houston said today.

His comments come after the deadliest month of violence in Iraq in more than two years, with 103 U.S. soldiers and dozens of Iraqis killed in bombings and militia attacks.

''I think the Iraqi government needs to confront the issue of the militias probably in a more robust way,'' Air Chief Marshal Houston told a parliamentary hearing in Canberra.

Australia, one of the first nations to commit forces to the U S-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein, is a strong U S ally, with about 1,400 troops in and around Iraq.

In a wide-ranging discussion about Iraq, Houston said he disagreed with Britain's army chief General Richard Dannatt, who caused uproar last month when he said the presence of British troops in Iraq was worsening security.

Houston said the presence of coalition forces was crucial in Iraq and had led to significant economic and social improvements in most of the country.

''If we were to leave tomorrow, the problem would be much greater,'' Houston said.

Houston said the spate of militia attacks and violence, centred mainly around Baghdad, posed a difficult challenge for the Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

''What is required is to get on top on this sectarian violence.

If that can be done, I think things will improve dramatically,'' Houston said.

''I think it needs political will, I think it needs a good political strategy, I think it needs a good security strategy,'' he said.

Australia's conservative Prime Minister John Howard, trailing in the polls midway through his fourth term, has promised to keep forces in Iraq until it could look after its own security.

The centre-left Labor opposition has promised to withdraw forces from Iraq if it wins power at the next elections, due in late next year.

A Newspoll published yesterday said 68 per cent of Australians believed it was not worth joining the war in Iraq, while only 31 percent believed Australian troops should remain as long as needed, down from 45 percent two years ago.

Reuters MS DB0921