Baghdad. Iraq’s prime minister has made a rare visit to the country’s self-ruled northern Kurdish region in an attempt to mend ties between the Kurds and the central government in Baghdad.Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday led a landmark cabinet meeting in the city of Erbil, trying to diffuse tensions linked to a multitude of disputes that diplomats warn are among its biggest threats to stability in the country.No tangible measures were agreed upon at the meeting, but the fact it took place after years of political fighting was taken as a positive sign.Following the cabinet meeting, al-Maliki said he and Kurdish regional President Massud Barzani did "not have a magic wand to fix all these problems in one go”."But it is necessary to have a willingness to solve them,” al-Maliki said during a joint news conference with Barzani.Baghdad and Erbil have been deadlocked over several issues for years.