BERLIN, Jan. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- The German parliament said here Friday that there were no evidence that German spies were involved in helping U.S. establish targets for airstrikes in the Iraq war.

    "The intelligence control board found no evidence that members of the Federal Intelligence Agency (BND) ... took part in targeting or directing U.S. armed forces," the Bundestag, lower house of parliament said in a statement after a closed-door meeting with German intelligence chiefs.

    A parliamentary committee monitoring intelligence definitely denied media allegation that German spies supplied mistaken intelligence tips which led to an April 7, 2003 airstrike causing 12 civilian casualties, but not former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein or his sons.

    The panel said it would summon the agents who were in Iraq during the war to testify on the matter.

    The Los Angeles Times and German NDR television reported Thursday that two agents of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency were in Iraq during the 2003 war and helped identify bombing targets for U.S. warplanes.

    Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper quoted unnamed German security sources saying that the BND's cooperation with U.S. agents was definitely approved, adding that the approval was a political decision taken by then Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government after talks between the BND foreign intelligence agency and the chancellery.

    German opposition parties urged investigation into the allegations, and a special parliamentary session is planned on Jan.18 to discuss the issue.

    Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who monitored the BNDat the time as chief of staff to Schroeder, denied Thursday involvement of German spies in the war.

    His predecessor Joschka Fischer also said he knew nothing about the alleged spying other than what he had read in the media.

    BND President Ernst Uhrlau said the few German agents who remained in Baghdad during the 2003 Iraq war played no role either in establishing bombing targets or the hunt for Saddam Hussein.

    Schroeder's government was strongly opposed to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Enditem