CAIRO, Jan 22: The presidents of Egypt and Pakistan held talks on Monday on the presence of Arab militants on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and on a role for Muslim nations in supporting the Israeli-Arab peace process.

Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan also discussed the situation in Iraq during their meeting in the Egyptian Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheik. The meeting came just after a suicide car bomber attacked a military convoy in northwestern Pakistan, killing himself and at least four soldiers.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri told journalists that Musharraf and Mubarak discussed the presence of Arab militants on the border with Afghanistan. “We have paid a heavy price for that,” he said without further explanation.

Talks in the Red Sea resort city focused mainly on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. “What is happening in the Arab world and in Palestine in particular has an emotional impact in Pakistan,” said Kasuri in Arabic. “We cannot sit on the sidelines as spectators.”

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said discussions centred on how Muslim countries can “sharpen the determination of the Muslim world to change the current situation. The leaders also reviewed developments in Iraq, he said.—AP