U.S. official apologizes for criticizing Iraq policy: report

A senior State Department official has apologized for saying that the United States had acted with "arrogance" and "stupidity" in its campaign in Iraq, reported the New York Times on Monday.

In a statement released on Sunday night by the State Department, Alberto Fernandez said, "Upon reading the transcript of my appearance on Al Jazeera, I realized that I seriously misspoke by using the phrase 'there has been arrogance and stupidity by the U.S. in Iraq.' This represents neither my views, or those of the State Department. I apologize."

Fernandez, director of the office of press and public diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in Washington, had allegedly criticized the United States' Iraq policy during an interview conducted in Arabic, and broadcast on Saturday on Al Jazeera, the Arab television network.

In the 35-minute interview, Fernandez, who speaks fluent Arabic, said, "History will decide what role the United States played."

According to a translation by CNN, he said that while the United States had tried its best, its role might be criticized by future historians "because undoubtedly there was arrogance and stupidity from the United States in Iraq." Other news sources have translated the remarks in a similar way, the report said.

After news of the remarks spread on Sunday, American officials said they did not reflect the administration's views.

A total of 80 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq this month, the highest casualty of any single month this year. The Bush administration has been under mounting pressure to rethink the Iraq strategy.

Source: Xinhua