Indonesia and Pakistan agreed on Wednesday to join other Islamic countries to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Middle East, the presidents of the two countries said in Jakarta.

The decision was made during a meeting of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his visiting Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf at the State palace here.

Musharraf was on a one day visit to Indonesia on Wednesday.

"The bigger idea that brings me here to Indonesia (is) that I ( want to) exchange (views) with my brother President Susilo on the issues of the turmoil in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan, "said Musharraf at a joint press conference after the meeting.

"We both have consolidated views on requirement of a new initiative to contribute to resolving disputes and bringing harmony to the Muslim world,"he said.

Musharraf said he and Susilo have also decided to keep consulting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia about the initiative.

Regarding to the possibility of ignorance of the western countries which have played major roles in the Middle East, Musharraf assured that those involved in the initiative are those from credible countries and the ideas on the initiative would be reasonable and acceptable.

President Susilo has also told Musharraf that Indonesia, the biggest Muslim country, would hold an Islamic conference in the near future to be participated by Sunni and Shiite Muslim clerics and a number of Islamic leaders from a number of countries.

He said the aim of the conference was to exchange views on finding the best solution to the dispute in the Middle East, and the participating countries will be determined later.

Indonesia is the world's biggest Muslim country, where 87 percent of its 240 million population is Muslim. Pakistan, also a Muslim country, has a population of 160 million.

Source: Xinhua