In Iraq, senator finds support for troop pullout plan

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama conferred with senior Iraqi leaders, US officials, and military commanders yesterday, as a spokesman for the Iraqi government declared that it would like US combat forces to complete their withdrawal in 2010.

The comments by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh marked the second time in recent days that a senior Iraqi had endorsed a timetable for US withdrawal that is roughly similar to the one advocated by Obama. Dabbagh suggested a combat force pullout could be completed by the end of 2010, which would be about seven months longer than Obama's 16-month formulation.

Dabbagh made the statement after Obama's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has recently faced pressure from the White House to clarify published comments that he supported Obama's 16-month plan.

Dabbagh declared that his government was working "on a real timetable which Iraqis set" and the 2010 deadline was "an Iraqi vision."

The White House responded quickly to Dabbagh's remarks, which, along with Maliki's earlier comments, have been a thorny political problem for an administration that has opposed attaching firm dates to troop withdrawals as it negotiates the future US-Iraqi relationship.

"We don't think that talking about specific negotiating tactics or your negotiating position in the press is the best way to negotiate a deal," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, suggesting that Dabbagh was responding to domestic pressure.

Dabbagh said Maliki did not discuss troop withdrawals with his visitor. "Senator Barack Obama is a candidate, and we are talking to the administration which is in power," he said. But in many ways - from the red carpet rolled out at Maliki's residence to Obama's seat of honor next to Maliki during formal consultations - he was treated like a visiting head of state.

The White House has said that Maliki and President Bush had reached an agreement to set a "time horizon" for the withdrawal of US combat troops. But administration officials have steadfastly declined to indicate what that time horizon might be.

"Obama is closer to Iraqi opinion on the issue of withdrawal of US forces," said Ali al-Adeeb, a top official in Maliki's Dawa Party. "We don't know him personally, but we like his opinion and his calls to set a timetable to withdraw forces."

The presumptive Democratic presidential candidate arrived in Iraq yesterday morning, traveling as part of a congressional delegation that includes Senators Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska, and Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, both critics of the war.

Obama and the other senators released a statement late yesterday noting that Iraqis want an "aspirational timeline, with a clear date," for the departure of US combat forces.

"Prime Minister Maliki told us that while the Iraqi people deeply appreciate the sacrifices of American soldiers, they do not want an open-ended presence of US combat forces. The prime minister said that now is an appropriate time to start to plan for the reorganization of our troops in Iraq - including their numbers and missions. He stated his hope that US combat forces could be out of Iraq in 2010," the statement said.

The senators also acknowledged a significant decline in violence in Iraq but added that while there has been some forward movement on political progress, reconciliation, and economic develop- ment, there has not been enough to bring lasting stability to Iraq.

Obama, a first-term senator who is seeking to convince voters that he has enough foreign policy experience to succeed in the Oval Office, is scheduled to travel to Jordan, Israel, Germany, France, and Britain by the end of the week.

Interviewed on NBC's "Today" show yesterday morning, Obama's Republican rival, Senator John McCain, said he "was glad" Obama was meeting with General David Petraeus, the top US commander, and hearing firsthand about the buildup of US troops over the last year.

"I hope he will have a chance to admit that he badly misjudged the situation, and that he was wrong when he said the surge wouldn't work," McCain said.

The US delegation's first stop in Iraq was the southern city of Basra, where the Iraqi army - with support from British and US troops - recently wrested control from extremist Shi'ite militias. The senators did not venture into the city center, where 30,000 Iraqi soldiers patrol the streets.

In Baghdad, a red carpet with yellow trim was unfurled at 1:50 p.m. outside Maliki's residence.

Ten minutes later, the senators and their entourages arrived, accompanied by US Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and David M. Satterfield, the State Department's Iraq coordinator. After meeting for nearly an hour with Maliki, Obama declined to say what they discussed.

Obama's convoy arrived next at the residence of the Iraq president, Jalal Talabani, who was with chief of staff Naseer al-Ani and two other senior advisers.