German Defense Minister Peter Struck said Thursday that the country's troops would not participate in any peacekeeping mission in post-war Iraq.
"Our position is clear: there are absolutely no considerations on deploying German armed forces in Iraq after the war or plans for them as UN blue helmets in the time after Saddam Hussein," Struck was quoted by German press.
He said that Germany had already reached the limit of troops it can send abroad with nearly 10,000 soldiers serving in Afghanistan and the Balkans.
Struck stressed that Berlin still wanted the United Nations to take over responsibility in the post-war Iraq as soon as possible.
(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2003)
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