NATO nations were meeting Monday to discuss how their peacekeeping force in Afghanistan can help victims of the earthquake centered in neighboring Pakistan. A decision would be needed to authorize the force to operate across the border. The meeting of ambassadors from the 26 NATO nations was scheduled to start at around 1 p.m. (1100GMT), an alliance official said. Before then, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was due to speak to reporters after holding his regular monthly meeting with the European Union's top security officials. A spokesman for the 11,000 force said Sunday it was not within the mission's mandate to operate outside Afghanistan. The NATO mission there is believed to have about 20 helicopters, the Associated Press reported.
