Presidential contender Barack Obama has arrived in Baghdad for his first visit to Iraq since he became the Democrat’s presumptive nominee. Obama’s arrival comes just two days after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki endorsed Obama’s call for a timetable for a US withdrawal from Iraq. In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, al-Maliki said, “US presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about sixteen months. That, we think, would be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.” Maliki went on to say, “Artificially prolonging the tenure of US troops in Iraq would cause problems.” Soon after Der Spiegel's report was published, US embassy officials in Baghdad called Maliki's office to express concern over his statements. An Iraqi government spokesperson then issued a statement claiming Der Spiegel's report had been misunderstood and mistranslated. However, Der Spiegel has stood by its story. The magazine gave an audio recording of the interview to the New York Times, which confirmed that Maliki endorsed Obama's plan for withdrawing combat troops in about sixteen months.