Rallies across the Arab world are justified because of the "tyranny" and "oppression" many protesters suffer from, Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki said in comments released by his office on Saturday.
"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.
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