Pakistan, UK worried about terror links

During a briefing with reporters on the sidelines of the Commonwealth summit in Malta, Blair confirmed that the British and Pakistani governments were exchanging information on suspected militants travelling between both countries.

When asked by AFP if there was a list of Britons meeting militant groups in Pakistan, and whether any of the four presumed London bombers were on it, Blair replied: "I'd better refer you to the police for any details of this."

But he added that he and his Pakistani counterpart Shaukat Aziz devoted "a major part" of their conversation on Friday to counter-terrorism, and "we're working very closely with the Pakistani government on this.

"And obviously one of the things we're trying to do is to identify whether there are British people who have gone to Pakistan or Pakistanis who have come to Britain that have links with these terrorist organizations," Blair said.

For the "numbers, and the details in relation to these four, I think I'd better refer you to them (the police). It obviously is a serious worry for both of us," Blair added, speaking in a lounge of a highly-secured seafront hotel complex.

"What's interesting is the degree of cooperation we're getting from Pakistan is very great," the prime minister said.

When asked if British intelligence was gaining a more accurate picture of the terrorism ties, he replied: "Yes, we are."

On July 7, four presumed Islamic militant suicide bombers killed 56 people, including themselves, when they detonated bombs on three London subway trains and a bus, the worst terror attack in Britain.