Advisers to John Kerry, the US presidential challenger, have accepted that Germany would maintain its refusal to supply troops to Iraq even should the Democrats win next month's elections, senior German officials said on Thursday.

Bernd Mützelburg, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's chief foreign policy adviser, met Mr Kerry's advisers in Washington last month and urged them, if Mr Kerry won, not to ask Berlin to end its refusal to send troops to Iraq. Such a request would be denied. “Please don't ask this question,” was Mr Mützelburg's message, officials said, adding that this was accepted by Mr Kerry's advisers.