"We think that the protests are normal and expected because of what many of these people are suffering from -- tyranny, oppression, corruption and lack of development," Maliki told a South Korean news agency, according to a transcript released by his office.

"The people have the right to peacefully change their reality for the better. We, as a fragile democratic experience, can only stand by the people's legitimate demands."

The interview was originally conducted on April 20.

His remarks come amid massive protests across the region, with large-scale rallies having taken place in Bahrain, Yemen and Syria, and armed rebellion ongoing in Libya.

Maliki has previously commented on the protests, warning last month in a BBC interview that the "intervention" in Shiite-majority Bahrain by the Gulf kingdom's Sunni neighbours risked a sectarian war in the region.

And he said in early February that Egyptians had the right to democracy, amid an uprising that would eventually force Hosni Mubarak from power.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News