Obama braves Mideast political minefield

“The king told Obama that continued American support for a Middle East peace process that leads to a just and comprehensive peace would help foster Arab-US relations and bolster US credibility in the region,” the statement added.
Obama said after a high-profile tour to Iraq that he wanted US troops out in 2010 but stressed that the country also need a political solution to the conflict.
“I welcome the growing consensus in the United States and Iraq for a timeline. My view is we can safely deploy in 16 months so that our combat brigades are out of Iraq in 2010,” Obama told reporters after flying in to neighbouring Jordan.
“There is security progress, now we need a political solution,” he said.
In Iraq, Obama said he and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki shared a common vision of withdrawing US forces from the country by 2010.
Obama criss-crossed volatile areas of the war-wracked country during a two-day trip to meet Iraqi leaders, US military commanders and former insurgents who switched allegiances to battle Al-Qaeda.
“The prime minister said that now is an appropriate time to start to plan for the reorganisation of our troops in Iraq - including their numbers and missions,” Obama said in a statement released with the two other senators travelling with him, Chuck Hagel and Jack Reed.