Conservative leader Stephen Harper supports enhanced relations between Ottawa and Washington, but said he wouldn't send Canadian troops to Iraq if he were elected Prime Minister.

Speaking to CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Harper said Canada's existing military commitments in Afghanistan and elsewhere rule out the possibility of a deployment to Iraq.

"Given our limited military capacity, and the extent to which our people are already over-commited across the world, I don't think that's feasible," Harper said.

Harper said that even if troops aren't made available, the key issues are co-operation and support.

"We should make the United States and our coalition friends aware that we want them to succeed," he said.

Harper, who received an endorsement from former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on Saturday, said he was eager to see how current PM Paul Martin fares on his coming trip to Washington to meet U.S. President George Bush.

"I wish the Prime Minister well on that trip,' Harper said. "Having good relations with the United States is critical to the success of our country."

He accused the Liberals of "putting a stick in the eye of Americans because they think it gets them a few polling numbers."

Harper also said he does not intend to appoint either Belinda Stronach or Tony Clement, his opponents in the Conservative leadership race, to serve as chair of the Ontario campaign in the coming election.

"The chairman jobs are generally reserved for those who will obviously not be contestants themselves," Harper said, noting that both Stronach and Clement intend to seek federal seats.