Der Spiegel Stands By Maliki Interview (Refutes Iraqi Gov’t Statement Released By U.S.)

[sabra]

Source: CBS News

Refutes Iraqi Gov’t Statement Released By U.S. Military Claiming Prime Minister Does Not Endorse Obama Withdrawal Timetable


(CBS/AP) A German magazine which published an interview with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stating his support for presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposed 16-month timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq is standing by its interview, despite statements issued by an al-Maliki spokesman claiming he was "mistranslated."

Ali al-Dabbagh, the chief spokesman for al-Maliki, said in a statement Sunday that the prime minister's comments were "not conveyed accurately" by Der Spiegel.

Al-Dabbagh said al-Maliki did not endorse a specific timetable but instead discussed "an Iraqi vision" of U.S. troop withdrawals based on negotiations with Washington and "in the light of the continuing positive developments on the ground."

He added that Maliki’s comments has been “misunderstood and mistranslated," without detailing which parts were affected.

The Iraqi spokesman's statement was released not by the Iraqi government but by the U.S. military’s Central Command press office in Baghdad.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/20/iraq/main4275953.shtml

[DallasNE]

1. Gen. David Petraeus

Is the current CentCom commander. Enough said on that front.

[gratuitous]

2. Who are you going to believe?

I mean, has CentCom, the American military, and the Bush administration ever lied* to us before?

Does not include fibs, stretchers, fudging the facts, shading the truth, misleading, non-denial denials, whoppers, howlers, half-truths, evasions, later clarifications, tall tales, likely stories, falsehoods, or inventions.

[Cha]

3. Good for Der Speigel..

Tough shit, bush.