News mag stands by Maliki story quotes

BAGHDAD, July 20 (UPI) -- Iraq says Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was "mistranslated" but Der Spiegel Sunday stood by its report that he backs Barack Obama's U.S. troop withdrawal plan.

The German news magazine reported Saturday that Maliki, in an interview, 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 was quoted as saying. "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 Saturday issued a statement through the U.S. military in Iraq, saying the comments were "misunderstood and mistranslated." The statement did not specify how Maliki's remarks had been mistranslated, The New York Times reported.

The Iraqi statement came after U.S. embassy officials in Baghdad called Maliki's office, The Washington Post said Sunday. The officials made the call to voice concern over the Der Spiegel quotes and to seek clarification, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told the Post.