Ottawa said that de Hoop Scheffer would meet with foreign Minister Bill Graham and defense minister David Pratt on Wednesday and Thursday.

Although the agenda has not been set, Graham merely said: "I look forward to further developing our strong ties with NATO and discussing our collective interests in advance of the Istanbul Summit."

The summit is scheduled to take place in late June.

The possible reduction in the number of Canadian troops, who currently make up the largest contingent in the 6,100-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, as well as a sizeable force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, is likely to be discussed.

In an interview Monday published in Montreal's La Presse newspaper, Pratt indicated that the Afghan-based Canadian peacekeepers were to be "considerably reduced" when their one-year term finishes at the end of August.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union meanwhile have also made initial contacts on whether the EU will provide replacememnt peacekeepers in the NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia, possibly at the end of this year.

A decision on that and the possible withdrawal of some 1,200 Canadian troops operating with SFOR in Bosnia would be taken at the Istanbul summit.

WAR.WIRE