A group of senior defense officials have met in London to review possible contributions to the planned international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
The meeting at Britain's Defense Ministry is focused on the contributions and support the participating countries could provide for the force. The meeting brought together officials from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain as well as their colleagues from Turkey, Jordan, the United States.
The discussions, chaired by the chief of Britain's defense staff, General Tony Piggott, centered on the size and composition of the force.
The man who will become defense minister in Afghanistan's new interim government, Mohammed Fahim, has suggested that the force be limited in size to about a thousand troops. But British officials say it could total up to six thousand.
A small British reconnaissance team will fly to Kabul in the next few days to asses requirements for deploying the troops.
Britain is expected to command the peacekeepers, but a formal announcement will come only after the United Nations Security Council officially authorizes the deployment.