Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) nations converged in London Thursday to prepare the ground for the G8 summit in Scotland next month.

France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, Russia and the European Union make up the G8.

The Middle East, drug production in Afghanistan and concern over Iran's nuclear program are to top the agenda at the meeting hosted by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, the BBC reported.

Rebuilding Afghanistan is expected to feature heavily, with Britain due to take over leadership of the peacekeeping force there next year.

The foreign ministers will be briefed on developments in the Middle East by special envoy to the region James Wolfensohn, ahead of the planned Israeli pullout from Gaza.

Earlier this month, the G8 financial ministers gathered in London and agreed to a landmark deal to immediately write off all multilateral debt of $40 billion, owed by 18 countries, 14 of them in Africa.