Iraq denies PM criticised Bush

[sabra]

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=348894&sid=WOR

Iraq denies PM criticised Bush

Baghdad, Jan 19: Iraq's government spokesman denied on Friday that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had criticized US President George W Bush in comments carried by an Italian newspaper, saying the report was "intolerable".

"News agencies quoted the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera as saying that Maliki had criticized the US administration, describing it as being in a serious dilemma following the Republican's defeat (in November congressional elections)," spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

"We stress that these statements are not true at all. They are rather an interpretation and misunderstanding by the newspaper reporter that contradicts Maliki's words. This is intolerable," he said in a statement.

The Italian daily yesterday quoted Maliki as saying: "I have the impression that it is them in Washington who are near the end, and not US in Baghdad."

quote from UK Sunday Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-2553148,00.html

<snip>

In a sign of the tense relations with Washington, he chided the US for suggesting his Government was living on “borrowed time”. Such criticism boosted Iraq’s extremists, he said, and was more a reflection of “some kind of crisis situation” in Washington after the Republicans’ midterm election losses.