JERUSALEM, June 14 (AFP) - The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, visited holy sites of the three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem on Monday and urged patience in the quest for peace.

The Tibetan leader added a yarmulka, or Jewish skullcap, to his traditional attire of bordeaux-colored robes for a meeting with Israeli Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau next to the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest shrine.

During the meeting, conducted in a police station, the rabbi asked the Buddhist leader to intervene with Iranian religious authorities to obtain the release of 13 Jews facing trial and possible execution on charges of spying for Israel, officials present at the meeting said.

Israel has strongly denied the 13, who include rabbis and teachers, have any ties to Israeli intelligence agencies.

Lau and the Dalai Lama also briefly discussed the troubled Middle East peace process.

Asked afterwards if peace was attainable between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the Dalai Lama responded, "Definitely, with more determination, more patience and a wider perspective."

Their meeting was held in the police station to avoid the friction that an encounter at Lau's office would have created with China, which views official contacts between the Dalai Lama and foreign leaders as implicit recognition of Tibetan demands for independence.

However, spreaking at a later press conference, the Dalai Lama said his aim was not a separate Tibetan state.

"The solution for the Tibetan people is to talk, I am not seeking independence," he said.

The Israeli government carefully avoided any official contact with the Dalai Lama during his three-day stay.

The Dalai Lama, who arrived Saturday to attend an inter-faith religious conference, also toured the Western Wall, the last vestige of the Jewish Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. and the holiest site in Judaism.

He then climbed to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, built on the ruins of the Temple, to visit the mosque and the Dome of the Rock, from where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have ascended to Heaven.

The mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Walking through the crowded alleyways of the Old City, the Dalai Lama went on to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most sacred shrine in Christendom where according to the scriptures Jesus was crucified, buried and then resurrected.

He also met with the Greek Orthodox patriarch in the Holy Land, Diodoros I.

During his press conference, the Tibetan spiritual leader said that he has reason to be optimistic that the 21st century will be a better, happier and healthier one for all.

"This century we experienced different political ideologies, it turned into a century of bloodshed, a century of violence," he said.

"Now I see signs of humanity becoming more mature, there is a desire for peace, for coexistence," he added.

In response to questions about the prospect for peace in the Middle East, the Tibetan leader said that "non-violence is becoming a political reality and with time, support, and effort," there will eventually be peace.

The Dalai Lama was in Israel to attend an inter-faith seminar alongside Christians, Moslems, Jews, Hindus and Shintos.

The seminar was organized by the Inter-religious Coordination Council in Israel in conjunction with the Israeli branch of the Anti-Defamation League.