Iraq Leader Supports Obama Plan
On July 19, 2008, during an interview with Spiegel Online, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressed support for Barack Obama's proposed plan to remove U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months.1
Fast Facts
- Maliki stated that the support for Obama's plan was not an election endorsement2
- Maliki expressed frustration with George W. Bush's reluctance to set a specific time line for the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq1
- Maliki spoke with Bush via teleconference on July 17, 2008, to discuss a "general time horizon" for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq3
- The current UN-approved mandate for U.S. presence in Iraq expires on December 31, 20083
- Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Iraq during the week of July 20-274
Quotes
"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."—Nouri al-Maliki2
"The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders on the ground and done in consultation with the Iraqi government. Military experts believe we can safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month that would remove them in 16 months."—Barack Obama5
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