French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner apologized Monday "for interfering in Iraq's internal affairs," following his critical remarks in an American magazine asking Iraq's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to resign.
Speaking on RTL French radio Kouchner said "If the Iraqi prime minister wants me to apologize for having interfered in Iraq's internal affairs in such a direct way, I'll do it willingly."
"I think he misunderstood, or I failed to clarify that I was referring to comments I heard from Iraqis I talked to," Kouchner said.
"But again that does not change the facts. I am not the only one who is criticizing the current tensions and daily acts of violence disgracing the world," he said.
Maliki had demanded apologies from France Sunday after Kouchner's scathing remarks in the American weekly magazine Newsweek asking him to resign.
In an on-line interview, Kouchner is quoted by Newsweek as saying "a lot of people think the prime minister should be replaced."
Maliki also criticized France's policy in Iraq, accusing it of supporting the proponents of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Source: Xinhua
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