US, Pakistan agree to boost 'war on terror'

"We discussed the war on terror and the need for closer communications and coordination to take this effort forward," Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told reporters after talks with US President George W. Bush at the White House.

Aziz did not explain what steps the two allies would take to bring about greater information sharing and coordination in their fight against terrorism.

Bush and Aziz said they discussed trade, nuclear energy, defence cooperation and the response to the Oct. 8 earthquake in Pakistan that killed about 74,000 people and left about 3 million homeless.

"A sense of caring and sharing always builds a better relationship between countries and that's what we are seeing between Pakistan and the United States," said Aziz.

During a brief joint public appearance at the White House, neither leader mentioned the suspected CIA airstrike that targeted al-Qaeda members in a remote part of Pakistan but killed 18 civilians and angered many Pakistanis.

Washington has declined to acknowledge that it carried out the attack, while Islamabad says the CIA was behind it.

The strike on the remote village of Damadola, in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, was reportedly aimed at killing al-Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, during a gathering of senior al-Qaeda operatives there.

President George W. Bush praised Pakistan as a close ally in fighting terrorism and said on Tuesday that he would visit the country and its neighbour India in March.

"I think the relationship with Pakistan is a vital relationship for the United States," Bush said. "We're working closely to defeat the terrorists who would like to harm America and harm Pakistan."

Bush and Aziz showed no signs of acrimony and affirmed the two countries' close relationship in trying to combat terrorism.