The Iraqi government denied Sunday that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki backed a plan of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama for US troop withdrawal from Iraq, saying the premier's remarks to a German magazine were misunderstood, the dpa reported.
Al-Maliki's comments to Der Speigel were "misunderstood" and incorrectly translated, Iraqi cabinet spokesman, Ali al-Dabagh, said in a statement.
In an interview released on Saturday, Der Spiegel quoted al-Maliki as saying that Obama's proposal for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq within 16 months was the "right time frame with the possibility of minor changes."
"The statements made by the Prime Minister or any other member of the Iraqi government should not be understood as support for any US presidential candidate," al-Dabagh said.
Obama, who is currently visiting Afghanistan, is expected to stop over in Iraq to meet its leaders and visit US troops there.