Germany's policy of staying out of Iraq will remain in place even if Democratic candidate John Kerry beats George W. Bush in the US presidential election and applies pressure, a top German official said on Saturday.
Karsten Voigt, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's US policy co-ordinator, told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper that Berlin would anticipate Kerry increasing pressure for it to play a larger role in Iraq if the Democrat wins the November election.
"The German government has made it clear that the German military will not be deployed in Iraq - and that remains valid regardless of the outcome of the US election," Voigt said.
Kerry said in a speech in Boston on Thursday the United States needs a president with the credibility to get its allies to share burdens and reduce risks to American soldiers. Schroeder, a firm opponent of the Iraq war, has refused pressure from the Bush Administration to send troops to Iraq.