ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: President Pervez Musharraf said he would press for progress in key conflicts affecting Muslims as he left Friday for talks with Western leaders as well as his first visit to Latin America.

He will meet US President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac on the second leg of his 12-day tour, the first part of which will see him visit Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

Gen Musharraf's encounter with President Bush, expected on Dec 4, is his first since the US leader's re-election. "The main subject that I would like to discuss when I meet President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Chirac ... is (that) the resolution of political disputes must start," he said before leaving for Brasilia.

"I think both the Palestinian dispute and the Kashmir dispute are absolutely ripe for resolution and we have to resolve them. "That will bring considerable stability into the world."

Gen Musharraf said he advocated a strategy under which the Muslim world should encourage moderation while the West must focus on settling political disputes affecting Muslims.

Meanwhile, Gen Musharraf told reporters that he would seek to boost commercial ties with the region. Musharraf will hold talks with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during his three-day stay in Brasilia from Nov 27-30. He will spend Dec 1-2 in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires for talks with President Nestor Kirchner before flying to Mexico City. -Agencies