NATO will send troops to territories only if peace deal reached

BRUSSELS - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization will send peacekeeping forces to the Middle East only after a peace deal is reached between Israel and the Palestinians, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Scheffer said that the role NATO plays in the Israel-Palestinian conflict must be conditioned on a peace treaty, and on a request filed by both sides calling on the organization's involvement in the region.

"The possibility that NATO will play a future role should not be ruled out, but we won't come to the region without the consent of both sides," he said.

Scheffer made his remarks ahead of a NATO foreign ministers conference set to begin Wednesday evening, in which representatives from seven Mediterranean countries will take part. Representing Israel at the conference is Minister of Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Natan Sharansky.