Nato’s secretary general says the alliance must take action to ensure security is maintained in Iraq after this week’s handover of power.

Correspondents says Nato members are keen to show a united front. The 26-member alliance also looks likely to agree to the expansion of its operations in Afghanistan.

Speaking on the eve of the two-day summit, Nato chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer warned that the international community could not allow Iraq to go up in flames after the 30 June handover.

“There is a broad agreement that a stable Iraq is in the interest of all allies,” the secretary general said. Nato ambassadors, who gathered in Istanbul for talks before the arrival of the heads of government, hammered out a draft agreement to provide training and equipment for Iraq’s armed forces.

The move followed an urgent request from interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. It is not yet clear when the training operation will begin, nor how many personnel will be involved.

<B>Great differences remain</B>

Although troops from 16 member states have participated in the US-led occupation, it will the first time the alliance itself has taken an official role on the ground in Iraq. Nonetheless the deal falls far short of the peacekeeping role that Washington had originally been pushing for.

Opponents of the Iraq war, such as France, are still reluctant to have Nato assuming an active role on the ground and insist there will be “no Nato flag” in Iraq.

But one of the priorities of this meeting is healing the division that sprung up as a result of last year’s US-led invasion, so even though differences remain the Nato leaders are keen to show a united front.

“We are going to work together to help make sure that Nato is configured militarily to meet the threats of the 21st century,” US President George W. Bush said. Political analyst, Jonathan Marcus, who is in Istanbul, says the summit will also begin a fundamental debate about the way Nato goes about funding and organising its military operations.

Nato cannot escape one fundamental dilemma; that the alliance’s ambitions far outstrip its capacity to deliver, Jonathan Marcus says, adding that this has been particularly illustrated in Afghanistan.

Nato has struggled to find the most basic resources for even a minimal expansion of its operations in Afghanistan. But now at last alliance leaders are set to give the go-ahead to strengthen its presence there. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has long called for a wider Nato role and is expected to attend the summit today.

With Istanbul playing host to more than 40 world leaders, including the US and French presidents, German chancellor and UK prime minister, security in the city is at an unprecedented level.

The disruption has been so severe that many large companies have told employees to stay at home yesterday. As Mr Bush arrived in the city about 20,000 people joined an anti-war protest and there are more demonstrations planned throughout the summit.