AMMAN (AFP) — White House hopeful Barack Obama said on Tuesday after a high-profile tour to Iraq that he wanted US troops out in 2010 but stressed that the country also need a political solution to the conflict.
"I welcome the growing consensus in the United States and Iraq for a timeline. My view is we can safely deploy in 16 months so that our combat brigades are out of Iraq in 2010," Obama told reporters after flying in to neighbouring Jordan.
"There is security progress, now we need a political solution," he said.
In Iraq, Obama said he and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki shared a common vision of withdrawing US forces from the country by 2010.
Obama criss-crossed volatile areas of the war-wracked country during a two-day trip to meet Iraqi leaders, US military commanders and former insurgents who switched allegiances to battle Al-Qaeda.
"The prime minister said that now is an appropriate time to start to plan for the reorganisation of our troops in Iraq -- including their numbers and missions," Obama said in a statement released with the two other senators travelling with him, Chuck Hagel and Jack Reed.
"He stated his hope that US combat forces could be out of Iraq in 2010."
A separate statement from Maliki's office after the two met on Monday said Obama supported the gains achieved by Iraqi and US forces in areas of security and stability.
"I congratulate you (Maliki) on the achievements of your government ... I am supportive and committed to preserving the gains the Iraqi government achieved under your leadership," the statement in Arabic quoted Obama as saying.
The Illinois senator, however, for the first time conceded that he had not anticipated how well the US troop "surge" would work -- a key political flashpoint with his Republican rival John McCain.
McCain, lining up for battle against Obama in November elections, has slammed the idea of what he calls artificial timetables for a US withdrawal and says a longer term presence is vital to preserving security gains.
Obama had opposed the March 2003 invasion of Iraq as well as the deployment of extra forces in a troop "surge" last year.
Asked in Amman whether he now believed the surge had been a success, he said: "I believe that the situation in Iraq is more secure than it was a year and a half ago," but added that the definition of success "depends on how you look at it."
Earlier, he told ABC News that he had not anticipated the combination of the surge, the formation of Sunni Awakening groups which saw Sunni tribal leaders fight Al-Qaeda, and a fall in Shiite militia activity.
"So what you had is a combination of political factors inside of Iraq that then came right at the same time as terrific work by our troops."
Obama acknowledged that the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, disagreed with his call for a timetable for US troop withdrawals, but said as president he would have wider responsibilities to consider.
"There's no doubt that General Petraeus does not want a timetable -- I think he wants maximum flexibility to be able to do what he believes needs to be done inside of Iraq.
"But keep in mind, for example, one of General Petraeus' responsibilities is not to think about how could we be using some of that 10 billion dollars a month to shore up a US economy that is really hurting right now?
"If I'm president of the United States, that is part of my responsibility."
Republicans who have been forced to watch Maliki all but endorse Obama's demand for a timetable for troop withdrawals, savaged the Illinois Democrat as close minded and accused him of ignoring military advice.
"Barack Obama has made clear that his goal remains unconditional withdrawal rather than securing the victory our troops have earned and the surge has made possible," said Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for McCain.
Alex Conant, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, asked, "Why did Barack Obama go to Iraq? It's still not clear.
"Obama did not go to take advice from our commanders on the ground let alone to refine his unconditional withdrawal plan based on General Petraeus' concerns."
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
