ANKARA, Feb 6: Pakistan and Turkey agreed on Tuesday to form a group of Muslim countries that will work towards peace in the Middle East.

“We believe that this is a time for a new initiative of collecting like-minded countries to contribute towards a resolution of the Palestinian dispute, to contribute towards peace in the region and bring harmony into the Muslim world,” President Musharraf told a press conference here after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“There was total consonance of views” with Erdogan, he added. President Musharraf said his plan was in its initial stages

and that the first step was to get together a group of Muslim countries with similar policies on regional and international issues.

“The idea is to create a voice which is credible, acceptable to all and which is on a reconciliatory course (rather) than a confrontational course,” he said.

“Having got this group together, we need to decide on our stand towards the resolution of the Palestinian issue. We will then proceed to get involved into the details of how to resolve the dispute,” he added.

Once formed, the group will also contact international players in the region so that “there is acceptability of the group and its ideas,” President Musharraf explained.

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, for his part, called for international efforts to end sectarian violence in Iraq and Lebanon, as well as recent clashes between rival Palestinian factions and the bottleneck in Middle East peace talks.

“The recent developments are seriously threatening the security and stability of all Middle East countries. I believe regional countries have a common responsibility to install peace and calm in the Middle East,” he said.—Agencies