BERLIN: Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki backs Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's plan to withdraw US troops within 16 months of his election.

In an interview to a German magazine, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that he wants the US troops withdrawal from Iraq as soon as possible.

This interview comes at a pivotal time in the race for the White House, with Obama set to visit Iraq on an overseas tour and Republican John McCain attacking his rival for opposing a 30,000-strong troop surge.

It follows US President George W. Bush and Maliki's agreement to set only a "time horizon" for military withdrawal as part of a long-term security pact. On Saturday, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown also ruled out any deadline.

The new US administration will take over in January, immediately after the December 31 expiry of a UN mandate authorising the presence of US troops in Iraq.

Maliki told themagazine that Obama's 16-month window from that point was appropriate.

"We feel that this would be the right timescale for withdrawal, allowing for minor adjustments," Maliki said in the interview. US forces should leave the country "as soon as possible," he added.

"To date, the United States is struggling to agree on a concrete date for withdrawal because they view such a step as an admission of defeat, which is not the case."

The White House said on Saturday it had held talks with Maliki after the publication of his statements, and that its statement Friday about agreeing on a more vague "time horizon" was therefore the most accurate.