Iraq: Maliki 'mistranslated' on pullout

BAGHDAD, July 19 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was "mistranslated" in a report that he favors Barack Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. troops, an Iraqi spokesman said.

Der Spiegel reported Saturday that Maliki, in an interview with the German news magazine, said U.S. troops should leave Iraq "as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned."

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months," Maliki said. "That, we think, would be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

Maliki stressed that he was not endorsing Obama, the likely Democratic presidential nominee.

A spokesman for Maliki issued a statement saying the comments were "misunderstood and mistranslated," The New York Times reported. The statement did not specify how Maliki's remarks had been mistranslated, the newspaper said.

The Obama campaign issued a statement by campaign foreign policy adviser Susan Rice saying the Democratic senator from Illinois "welcomes … Maliki's support for a 16 month time line for the redeployment of U.S combat brigades."

Randy Scheunemann, foreign policy director for the campaign of likely Republican nominee John McCain, issued a statement saying Maliki affirmed the Arizona senator's position that "withdrawal must be based on conditions on the ground."

"The difference between John McCain and Barack Obama is that Barack Obama advocates an unconditional withdrawal that ignores the facts on the ground and the advice of our top military commanders," he said.