NATO defense ministers gather in Nice, France Wednesday for two days of talks on training Iraqi security forces.

Several NATO members, including France and Germany, have refused to deploy soldiers to Iraq, but have said they could train Iraqi forces outside of the country.

NATO is also expected to announce plans to expand its peacekeeping force in Afghanistan beyond Kabul by the end of the year.

NATO has about 8,500 peacekeepers in Afghanistan. But it is still debating the question of whether the mission should include chasing down al-Qaida and remnants of the Taleban.

Also Wednesday, NATO foreign ministers will hold informal talks in Brussels. It will be U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's first official NATO meeting since she assumed the post of top U.S. diplomat.