External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday discussed the West Asia peace process and the global war against terrorism.

MEA spokesman Navtej Sarna said the two leaders met for 75 minutes. "The need to cooperate in strengthening the fight against global terrorism was emphasised," he said.

Complete coverage of Sharon's visit

He added that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will have a one-to-one meeting with Sharon after which the delegation-level talks between the two countries will commence in Hyderabad House. It will be followed by dinner.

The spokesman pointed out that most of the discussion between Sinha and Sharon centred around bilateral economic and commercial relations.

Both leaders agreed on the need to boost and diversify bilateral trade, which currently stood at $ 1.3 billion.

Progress made by India in various sectors was reviewed, Sarna pointed out. The two leaders, he added, also stressed the need for joint research and development.

Co-production in the field of agriculture and the need for greater people-to-people contacts were also emphasised.