Al-Quds city, Feb 24, SPA -- NATO wants to increase its militarycooperation with Israel, especially in the areas of sharingintelligence and fighting the proliferation of weapons ofmass destruction, the alliance's secretary general said inan interview published Thursday. But Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told Israel'sHaaretz daily that NATO's recent focus on the MediterraneanDialogue, a forum of Israel and six Arab countries, is not"designed as a first step to a future membership." NATO's talks with Israel and other Mideast countries arecarefully balanced, "given the sensitivities in theregion," de Hoop Scheffer said. De Hoop Scheffer said his arrival in Israel lateWednesday, and meetings Thursday with Prime Minister ArielSharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom are intended toenhance "the political and practical dimensions" ofNATO's dialogue with Mideast countries. NATO especially wants to upgrade cooperation "in areassuch as the military-to-military cooperation to achieve abetter interoperability between our forces, the fightagainst terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of massdestruction," he said. NATO is "looking favorably" at an Israeli proposal toupgrade relations, including intelligence-sharing, andaccess to research and development funds and NATO's spareparts network, which allows member states to exchangeneeded military equipment, de Hoop Scheffer said.--SPA1141 Local Time 0841 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/241953