German Defense Minister Peter Struck suggested that Germany might send troops to Iraq should conditions there change, softening its previous stance of sending no troops to the country.

"At present I rule out the deployment of German troops in Iraq," Struck said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Wednesday. But he didn't rule out the possibility of deploying soldiers to Iraq in the future.

"In general, however, there is no one who can predict developments in Iraq in such a way that he could make such a binding statement," he said.

Germany agreed last month to provide a number of armored vehicles and light trucks for Iraq's new military.

Germany opposed the US-led Iraq war and has said no German soldier will be sent to Iraq.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2004)