Islamabad  - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sunday reiterated that the new coalition government stands by the country's pledge to fight terrorism, "the biggest treat to the world."

"Our government is committed to fight terrorism and extremism; it is against the humanity and it's against the world," said Gilani as he and US President George W Bush jointly addressed reporters at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The two leaders held their first meeting Sunday morning on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East.

Bush and Gilani discussed the security situation on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which remains a flashpoint between the allies because of the infiltration of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who have sanctuaries in Pakistan's rugged tribal region.

Bush said they talked about the "common desire to protect ourselves and others from those who would do harm."

Acknowledging Pakistan's economic, energy and food crises that could hamper its role in the war on terrorism, the US president offered cooperation on economic matters to make the "strong and vibrant" relations between Washington and Islamabad more productive.

"The truth of the matter is a population that has got hope as a result of being able to find work is a population that is going to make it harder for the extremists and terrorists to find safe havens," he said.

Fighters of the al-Qaeda terrorist network and the Taliban are believed to be operating training camps and logistics centres in Pakistan's north-western tribal districts from where they carry out cross-border raids on NATO-led international forces and Afghan army troops.

On Wednesday, at least 15 suspected militants were killed when two missiles fired by US drones hit the house of a local Taliban commander in Damadola village in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal district.

The US came in for a lot of flak from Pakistan, and the governor of the North-West Frontier Province that adjoins the conflict-hit region described the incident as "an attack on Pakistan's sovereignty."

Some 80,000 Pakistani soldiers have been deployed along the porous frontier to clamp down on militants' movements, but calls have been made in the United States to undertake direct military strikes on Taliban and al-Qaeda targets inside Pakistan. (dpa)