(CNN) -- A German magazine quoted Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as saying that he backed a proposal by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months. Nuri al-Maliki told Der Spiegel that he favors a "limited" tenure for coalition troops in Iraq. "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months," he said in an interview with Der Spiegel that was released Saturday. "That, we think, would be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes," he said. But a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."
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NEW: Der Spiegel says Nuri al-Maliki backs plan to withdraw troops within 16 months
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NEW: Al-Maliki's spokesman says his remarks were "misunderstood"
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Comments follow White House announcement of "time horizon" for withdrawal
"Who they choose as their president is the @placeholder' business.