JERUSALEM - Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud shook hands at a diplomatic event in Tunis, Shalom's office said yesterday. Lahoud denied shaking Shalom's hand, saying the account was "based on imagination."

Shalom was near Lahoud as he shook the hands of dignitaries standing nearby at a function the Tunisian government put on for delegates to a UN conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.

"We do not relate any diplomatic importance to this," Regev said.

Lahoud's office denied a media report that his wife, Andree Lahoud, spoke with Shalom's wife, Judy Nir-Mozes Shalom, on the sidelines of the conference.

Israel and Lebanon are sworn enemies. Israel does not at this time foresee opening peace talks with Lebanon, Regev said.

The handshake comes as some Arab and Muslim countries have warmed to Israel following its evacuation of the Gaza Strip over the summer. In reaction to the pullout, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri took the bold step of meeting with Shalom in Turkey on September 1.Only three Arab states - Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania have full diplomatic relations with Israel. (AP)