LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair has proposed creating a close new partnership between Russia and NATO under the auspices of a Russia-North Atlantic Council, Blair's advisers said.

Blair described his ideas for a new security relationship between Russia and the west in a letter sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson and the heads of all NATO member governments, two top officials told reporters in a briefing at Blair's Downing Street office Friday.

The officials, who spoke on traditional condition of anonymity, declined to say when the letter was sent.

They said the proposed council would help formalize the warming of the Cold War foes' relationship.

Under Blair's plan, a Russia-North Atlantic Council would serve as the centerpiece of a new security relationship and could eventually lead to Russia-NATO military cooperation in areas like peacekeeping, the officials said.

Controlling the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction would also be high on the council's agenda, they added.

"This could well lead to taking common decisions together and taking common action together," one of the officials said. "I can imagine we might well want to do something together in the Balkans."

Russia has regarded NATO's expansion into eastern Europe as a security threat and a sign that the west continues to view it as a potential enemy. Putin said during his visit this week to the United States that Russia wants to leave Cold War divisions behind and expects a role in the alliance's decision-making.

Blair's advisers emphasized that his proposal was not a move toward Russian membership in NATO. They said Blair hoped to have the new council up and running within a year.

The prime minister's proposal was hastened by the Sept. 11 attacks on America, which prompted increased cooperation on anti-terrorism efforts between Russia and the U.S.-led military coalition, the advisers said.

"There was a good deal of co-operation that came out of Sept. 11 and pushed us together, and I think it also made both sides who had been talking about how should the NATO-Russia relationship evolve think 'We really must get on with this,"' one of the officials said.