Nato plans Iraq and Afghan roles

The Nato-led security force has 8,000 troops in Afghanistan

Nato defence ministers meeting in France are discussing the alliance's roles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ministers are said to be close to an agreement on expanding peacekeeping operations to western Afghanistan.

France and Spain, which refused to take part in operations in Iraq, offered to help training Iraqi security forces.

Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said deep divisions between the US and its European allies over Iraq were now behind them.

Spanish Defence Minister Jose Bono, whose Socialist government withdrew troops from Iraq after coming to power last April, said Spain was willing to help train Iraqi soldiers at a mine clearance centre near Madrid.

Expansion

The BBC's defence and security correspondent Paul Welsh says Nato has important decisions to make about its changing role.

He says it is struggling to fulfil a commitment it has already made to train security forces in Iraq - and to secure more of Afghanistan, where Nato is the peacekeeping force.

The longer-term future holds the possibility of roles in the Middle East and Africa.

The French, who are hosting the defence ministers meeting in Nice, are talking about working more closely with African countries to combat militant groups and traffickers of people, weapons and drugs.

Our correspondent says US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on a visit to Europe, gave a taste of what might be to come when she said Nato could not be the world's policeman - a criticism often used to describe US foreign policy.

He says there is little doubt that Nato will expand - Ukraine's new president will be a guest at a Nato summit later this month - but more members can mean greater strength, or increasing confusion.