Obama may 'refine' Iraq plans

2008-07-04 07:27

Washington - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Thursday said he may "refine" his call for a 16-month Iraq troop withdrawal timeline, after a planned trip to the war zone later this month.

Obama, who based his primary campaign on vehement opposition to the Iraq war, said he would conduct a "thorough assessment" of his policies after the trip, his first to Iraq for two years.

The Illinois senator has faced fierce pressure from Republican foe John McCain over Iraq, who has said Obama should change his plans to take account of apparent security gains wrought by the recent US troop-surge strategy.

"When I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I am sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies," Obama was quoted as saying by Fox News and the New York Times.

"I've always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed."

The Republican National Committee immediately pounced on Obama's remarks, claiming they were the latest in a string of policy reversals since Obama defeated rival Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

"There appears to be no issue that Barack Obama is not willing to reverse himself on for the sake of political expedience," said RNC spokesperson Alex Conant.

"Obama's Iraq problem undermines the central premise of his candidacy and shows him to be a typical politician."

The Obama campaign says that despite calling for an immediate troop withdrawal, at the rate of one to two brigades a month from Iraq, Obama had always said he would listen to the advice of US commanders on the ground.

The Democratic candidate has announced plans to be part of a congressional delegation to Iraq and Afghanistan soon, but his itinerary has not been released for security reasons.

- AFP