Obama committed to Iraq withdrawal timetable

Amman: US presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Tuesday he was still committed to a 16-month timetable for a US troop withdrawal from Iraq.

"What I have proposed is a steady, deliberate draw down over the course of 16 months," Obama told reporters at a news conference in Amman after a visit to Iraq.

Obama said mistrust between Iraqi leaders was holding back the progress of the country's political process.

"What became clear in our conversations is that there remains mistrust between Sunni tribal leaders as well as government officials," he said after flying in to Amman from Iraq.

"What I emphasised is the fact that the U.S. government can't be there forever, the US military can't be there forever," he said.