BAGHDAD, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister said in a joint statement with the U.S. ambassador that his government had "timelines" for resolving the country's problems after the two men met following days of diplomatic tension.

"The Iraqi government has made clear the issues that must be resolved, with timelines, to take positive steps forward on behalf of the Iraqi people," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters, reading from a joint statement by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and envoy Zalmay Khalilzad after the meeting.

Maliki this week countered remarks by Khalilzad that the Iraqi government had agreed to meet "benchmarks" for policy action over the next year according to "timelines" agreed with Washington. He said only that his government had a view of when various political and military developments ought to take place.

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