Spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said in a statement: "Some media have misrepresented Dr. ElBaradei's essential message in his speech at Stanford and quoted him out of context."

Gwozdecky was referring to an article published Friday in the San Francisco Chronicle after International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general ElBaradei gave a speech at Stanford University in California on Thursday.

"The main message he was trying to convey was that in matters of war and peace, governments must do everything within their power to reach agreement," Gwozdecky said.

"When the international community is not united everyone loses, and in the case of Iraq, no one more than the Iraqi people," Gwozdecky added.

The Chronicle had called ElBaradei's speech "a remarkable challenge to President Bush only two days after his re-election, and it sets the IAEA chief on an open collision course with the administration."

ElBaradei is seeking to be re-elected as IAEA chief for what would be a third term in office. But Washington opposes this, saying international civil servants should serve only two terms.

The Chronicle said ElBaradei had "sharply criticized the Bush administration Thursday, saying the American invasion and occupation of Iraq had damaged the credibility of the United States."

It quoted ElBaradei saying the UN Security Council "had practiced double standards by using a 'good guys versus bad guys approach" that encouraged nations to build weapons secretly, and accusing the Council of having "little to no response" as North Korea built nuclear arms.

The Chronicle added: "Only last week, ElBaradei was accused by some administration supporters of trying to embarrass Bush in the last days of the campaign by releasing information about looted explosives in Iraq.

"Although ElBaradei's remarks Thursday were couched in diplomatic language, his arguments were much more specific and unambiguous than is usual for a UN official," the Chronicle said.

According to a copy of the speech made available to AFP, ElBaradei said IAEA "inspections were working" and had found no weapons of mass destruction but were cut off by the US-led invasion of Iraq.

"We need to exercise maximum restraint before resorting to military force," ElBaradei said, adding: "The Coalition lost in credibility in some people's eyes by proceeding to use force without the endorsement of the Security Council."

The Bush administration has claimed that Iraqis have been freed, but ElBaradei said: "Perhaps it is the Iraqi people who have lost the most. After years of suffering under a brutal dictatorship, and after enduring the hardships brought on through an extended period of sanctions, they have had still more misery brought on by the ravages of war and the unforseen and extended period of insurgency and civil disorder."

ElBaradei last week reported to the UN Security Council about explosives that have disappeared from Iraq since the US invasion, setting off a scandal that embarrassed Bush while he campaigned for re-election.

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