NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was paying a surprise visit to Iraq on Friday, alliance headquarters said. De Hoop Scheffer was visiting soldiers on the alliance mission launched in August to train Iraq's armed forces, the NATO statement said. He was also meeting military commanders and Iraqi officials. NATO has about 70 instructors and support staff in Baghdad and is currently finalizing plans to expand the mission to 300 instructors with up to 3,000 guards and other backup. The visit, which was not announced in advance, is the first by NATO's top diplomat since the Iraq war launched in early 2003 caused deep divisions within the alliance. NATO released no further details of the trip.
