ISLAMABAD, Oct 13: A Foreign Office spokesman, while referring to media reports about a statement by the federal foreign minister terming the demand for withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq “unrealistic”, on Monday said that these reports were “misconstrued and quoted out of context”.

He said Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri was, in fact, answering questions in Kuala Lumpur regarding the situation in Iraq and conditions for Pakistan’s deployment of troops there.

He reiterated Pakistan’s position noting that it would be possible only if they were welcomed by the Iraqi people, if there was a UN Security Council resolution and if other Muslim countries were to join. Pakistan’s position, therefore, remained unchanged, and the foreign minister’s remarks in this regard had been widely reported in the press, he said.—APP