A White House spokesman says U.S. officials at the embassy in Baghdad contacted Maliki's office to express concern and seek clarification on his remarks seemingly supporting Obama's withdrawal plan.
Following the call, an Iraqi government spokesman sent out a statement saying the comments were not "conveyed accurately," and they "should not be understood as support to any U.S. presidential candidate."
Adds comments printed in German magazine Der Spiegel Saturday were "misunderstood" and "mistranslated."
Der Spiegel stands by its version of the conversation. Read their transcript here.
