Nato states are expected to agree at a summit in Istanbul to provide training and equipment for Iraq's new homegrown security forces, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush were among 40 heads of government arriving in the Turkish city amid conditions of tight security today for the meeting of the defence alliance.
Following moves to rebuild transatlantic friendship at yesterday's EU-US summit in Ireland, the Nato gathering was expected to provide an opportunity to patch over tensions resulting from differences over the war in Iraq.
It comes just days ahead of the handover of sovereignty to an interim government on June 30th, a crucial step towards the withdrawal of US and UK troops and the return of Iraq to normality that has been demanded by key Nato states like France and Germany.
Mr Rumsfeld today struck a conciliatory note towards the countries he once scorned as "old Europe", saying it was "understandable" that they wanted a lengthy period of debate and discussion before agreeing to participate in the post-war restabilisation of Iraq.
"In the case of Iraq, we anticipate that at this summit, the heads of state will end up agreeing that Nato will in fact have a role in training and equipping the Iraqi security forces, which is a very good thing if that happens," he told BBC television.
Earlier today, Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that the Nato mission would involve Alliance instructors working both inside and outside of the country. It was too early to say how many Nato military personnel would be going to Iraq or when they would be deployed, he said.
Mr de Hoop Scheffer said the handover of sovereignty to an Iraqi government scheduled for Wednesday should lead Nato to "change our mindset as far as Iraq is concerned".
The offer of training support follows a letter to Nato from Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi asking for aid in rebuilding Iraq's armed forces after the handover.
If finally agreed, it would be a boost for the United States, which has sought a wider role by the alliance in Iraq. However it falls well short of earlier US hopes that Nato would deploy troops to help restore order there.