Speaking at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom said Israel was looking to upgrade its relationship with NATO.

"This is an historic visit because it is the first time that the head of NATO has visited our country. It reflects the mutual goals of deepening ongoing ties and realising the potential for cooperation," Shalom said.

"We want to move from a dialogue relationship to a partnership relationship," he said. "We think the time has come to have more cooperation in the security, political and military fields."

De Hoop Scheffer's trip comes as the military alliance is seeking to ramp up closer cooperation with members of the so-called Mediterranean Dialogue countries.

"I am here today to see how we can give form to a stronger relationship between NATO and Israel," de Hoop Scheffer said. "What NATO seeks is a strengthening of the relationship within the framework of the Mediterranean Dialogue."

Shalom denied that closer ties with NATO could be a precursor to membership, saying Israel was not seeking to join the alliance.

"Israel is not looking to be a member of NATO. NATO members are committed to mutual defence and we don't think we are in a position where we can intervene in other struggles in the world," he said.

Shalom also ruled out any NATO role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying: "We don't see that NATO should get engaged in our conflict here in the Middle East."

De Hoop Scheffer also stressed that NATO was not looking for any role in the emerging peace process.

"NATO has a big stake in what happens in the region but NATO is not coming to announce it is playing an active role in the region ... or in the peace process," he said.

Seven countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, are part of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue, an initiative launched 10 years ago to encourage closer links but which has never fully got off the ground.

All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.