NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf discussed Afghanistan on Monday when they met in a hotel in Brussels.

They noted that both Afghanistan and Pakistan face the same challenge of violent extremism and terrorism, said NATO in a press release.

They agreed that the two countries and NATO should continue to cooperate as closely as possible to tackle this challenge.

Musharraf pledged to ensure that the upcoming elections in Pakistan will be free and fair. Both men agreed on the importance of deepening the practical and political relationship between NATO and Pakistan, said the press release.

Political exchanges evolved after NATO's relief assistance operation in response to a devastating earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.

NATO and Pakistan intensified political dialogue, in particular with regard to the shared objective of bringing security and stability to Afghanistan.

(Xinhua News Agency January 22, 2008)