President Rafael Correa visited Argentina on Tuesday to receive a prize from a university, and during his stay commented on the attack against the Jewish association known as the AMIA.

It also left some 300 people injured. Argentina has blamed Iran for the blast.

Correa drew a comparison between the attack and NATO's bombing last year of Libyan forces to protect civilians as rebel forces fought to oust Moamer Kadhafi.

In a TV interview, Correa said then of the AMIA bombing: "I know that case that is so painful for Argentine history.

But look how many people died in the NATO bombing of Libya. I respect the Argentine case very much, but we should see where the real danger lies."

Jewish groups in Argentina expressed outrage, calling Correa's comments unacceptable.

On Friday, however, an Ecuadoran government spokesman denied that the president had tried to downplay the attack on the Jewish facility.

Communications Secretary Fernando Alvarado said the president's comments had been taken out of context and misquoted later.

And he said the controversy "has spread at such a fast pace that no one has stopped to do the proper analysis."

Correa, he said, did not mean to "justify, or even worse, downplay, a terrorist attack that was painful and cruel for Jewish and Argentine families."