A goal of the biannual meeting "is to standardize the methods and medical material to facilitate cooperation in a multinational environment" in the event of biological or chemical attacks, Van Hoof said.

The officer presides over NATO's Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services (COMEDS), which links senior military medical authorities of member countries and provides medical advice to NATO's military committee.

"Bioterrorism has been at the heart of our discussions for a long time, but after the September 11 attacks (in the United States)... and the conflict in Iraq, it has become a more widely recognized problem," Van Hoof said.

The Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 1999, "have always been at the forefront in the detection and isolation of biological arms," he said:

"These countries brought their know-how and experience to the Alliance even before their adhesion."

Some 80 delegates from NATO members and the alliance's partner countries are attending the COMEDS conference.

WAR.WIRE