Jones is due to hold talks on Monday with Romanian President Ion Iliescu and Defence Minister Ioan Mircea Pascu, the ministry said in a statement, on subjects including Romania's future participation in multinational peacekeeping efforts and anti-terrorism operations.

On Tuesday, Jones is due to meet most of the Romanian army's senior commanders to evaluate their progress in reforms designed to improve the country's military compatibility with other NATO countries.

Bucharest was formally invited to join the alliance at a summit in Prague last November, and has deployed 650 troops to the British- and Polish-controlled sectors of Iraq.

Romania is also hoping that Washington will choose to station troops permanently in the country and has supplied a list of possible sites for US military bases.

Besides the Constanta air base already used by US forces as a staging post during the Iraq war, the list includes the airports of Cluj, Campia Turzii and Timisoara, all in the centre and west of the country.

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