Former German minister denies Iraq role

BERLIN, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Germany's former Defense Minister Peter Struck has denied allegations that his country's secret agents helped the United States war effort in Iraq.

The denial comes as the German parliament prepares to debate the allegations, Deutsche Welle reported.

In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Struck rejected claims that agents of Germany's national intelligence service, BND, helped U.S. warplanes select bombing targets during the invasion which former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder vehemently opposed.

Struck said, "Apart from the fact that we granted the Americans flyover rights and that German soldiers guarded U.S. facilities (in Germany), the government maintained its line that we did not take an active part in this war," the report said.