Baghdad - The Iraqi government will not excuse Iraqi journalist Montazer al-Zaidi, despite his apology and appeal for a pardon, a spokesman for the government of Nuri al-Maliki said on Friday.

Al-Zaidi, 29, who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush at a press conference on Sunday, appealed for a pardon from the Iraqi premier on Sunday.

A government official said that al-Maliki will not interfere in the trial of al-Zaidi, which began Wednesday. He has been charged with attacking the head of a foreign state. He faces between five and 15 years in prison.

On Thursday, al-Arabiya news channel reported that al-Zaidi expressed his regret for his "ugly action" and asked al-Maliki to pardon him "like a son asking his father for forgiveness."

"I have interviewed you in the summer of 2005 and I remember you told me to come back any time, and I plead for this fatherly kindness in you," the plea read. (dpa)