Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told a German magazine that he supports Barack Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office.

The apparent endorsement of a cornerstone of Obama's foreign policy drew swift praise from the Obama camp. But the White House stressed that any timelines are contingent on "security gains" in the region.

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes," al-Maliki told the magazine Der Spiegel. He said he wants U.S. troops to leave "as soon as possible."

The comments come ahead of Obama's scheduled meeting with al-Maliki. Obama, who is touring both Afghanistan and Iraq for the first time since becoming a presidential candidate, arrived Saturday in Afghanistan, where he is meeting with U.S. troops.

"Senator Obama welcomes Prime Minister Maliki's support for a 16 month timeline for the redeployment of U.S combat brigades," Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice said in a statement Saturday. "This presents an important opportunity to transition to Iraqi responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan."

Al-Maliki said for the first time earlier this month that the U.S. military should work toward a timetable for withdrawal -- something President Bush and Obama's rival John McCain oppose. The White House also reported Friday that Iraq and the United States are discussing a "general time horizon" for reductions in troop levels.

Both developments gave Obama fuel in his argument that U.S. involvement in Iraq soon must draw to a close. But al-Maliki's comments to Der Spiegel seemingly were the deepest the foreign leader has waded into the tense foreign policy debate between the two major presidential candidates.

Al-Maliki told the magazine that his comments were "by no means an election endorsement."

But he seemed to refer disparagingly to McCain when he said "short time periods" in Iraq are more "realistic," while "artificially prolonging the tenure of U.S. troops in Iraq would cause problems."

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said in response that: "It is our shared view that should the recent security gains continue, we will be able to meet our joint aspirational time horizons. It is because of the president's bold surge strategy that we've been able to achieve the gains we're seeing today."

McCain went after Obama in his radio address Saturday for announcing his proposed strategies for Afghanistan and Iraq before even departing.

"Apparently, he's confident enough that he won't find any facts that might change his opinion or alter his strategy. Remarkable," McCain said, criticizing his rival for initially opposing the troop surge in Iraq.

"Today we know that he was wrong," he said.

Click here to read the article about al-Maliki in Der Spiegel.