Brussels, Dec 3, SPA -- NATO Secretary General Jaap deHoop Scheffer was paying a surprise visit to Iraq on Friday, alliance headquarters said. De Hoop Scheffer was visiting soldiers on the alliancemission launched in August to train Iraq's armed forces,the NATO statement said. He was also meeting military commanders and Iraqiofficials. NATO has about 70 instructors and support staff in Baghdadand is currently finalizing plans to expand the mission to300 instructors with up to 3,000 guards and other backup. The visit, which was not announced in advance, is thefirst by NATO's top diplomat since the Iraq war launched inearly 2003 caused deep divisions within the alliance. NATO released no further details of the trip. --SPA1304 Local Time 1004 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/221592