Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- which joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in April -- will join the top table at the Istanbul gathering.

But a number of states, notably from the Balkans, are standing in line: starting with Croatia, which is hoping that the summit will set a timetable for its accession. It is hoping for 2006, or 2007 at the latest. Albania and Macedonia have also said they hope to join NATO in only three years' time.

Alliance officials say it is "unlikely" however that they will agree on any specific dates at the two-day summit opening Monday, with NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer suggesting "signs of encouragement" will have to do.

And Bosnia-Hercegovina and Serbia-Montenegro will have to wait before joining the Partnership for Peace program, designed as a key step towards Alliance membership for ex-Soviet bloc countries.

Officials say their progress is closely linked to cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) over wanted war criminals.

Meanwhile Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma has, after some doubts, been invited to take part in a bilateral summit in Istanbul. But Kiev's hopes of joining NATO must remain on hold, at least for the time being, officials say.

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