Rasmussen calls for more cooperation with Israel

Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Thursday said he was in favor of developing the Alliance's cooperation with Israel. Rasmussen on Thursday received Israeli President Shimon Peres at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Speaking at a joint press conference after a tete-a-tete meeting with Peres, Secretary General Rasmussen underlined that "aside from six Arab countries, Israel was a crucial partner of the Alliance in the Mediterranean Dialogue." "NATO's security is related to the security and stability in the Mediterranean and the Middle East," Rasmussen emphasized. "Our Alliance attaches high importance to political dialogue and practical cooperation," Rasmussen noted. "NATO and Israel face the same strategic challenges in the eastern Mediterranean. There are all reasons present to justify deepening the already rooted cooperation with Israel," Rasmussen stated. President Peres, in his part, thanked Rasmussen for the "opportunity" given to Israel for cooperation with NATO. "The Alliance, who were responsible for Europe's security during the Cold War, now has become an important factor in counter-terrorism," Peres said. "Europe and Israel are on the same front in the fight against terror in the Middle East. We will win this struggle," Peres also said. NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue was initiated in 1994 by the North Atlantic Council. It currently involves seven non-NATO countries of the Mediterranean region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.