France, Germany to agree to NATO role against Islamic State - sources

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addresses a news conference ahead of leaders' meeting in Brussels, Belgium May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - France and Germany will agree to a U.S. plan for NATO to play a bigger role in the fight against Islamic militants at a meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, but insist the move is purely symbolic, four senior European diplomats said.

The decision to allow the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to join the coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq follows weeks of pressure on the two allies, who are wary of NATO confronting Russia in Syria and of alienating Arab countries who see NATO as pushing a pro-Western agenda.