During the phone conversation, the two presidents discussed "international developments related to the Iraqi crisis," Egypt's official MENA news agency reported, without elaborating.

However, MENA also noted the two leaders also exchanged views on salvaging the deteriorating situation between Israelis and Palestinians.

President Bush said Washington will be taking several steps so as to give momentum to the roadmap plan and underlined the need to coordinate stances to achieve progress on the Palestinian track in light of the political changes which the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has introduced of late.

Bush pledged in a special address on Friday that the roadmap could be officially presented soon after an empowered Palestinian prime minister is appointed to head the cabinet.

The PLC (Palestinian parliament) has been discussing amendments to the Basic Law for the creation of the prime minister since Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat named his deputy chief Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, to the post days ago.

Egypt, a key US ally in the Mideast region, has been officially opposed to a US-led war on Iraq and Israeli military actions against Palestinians.

(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2003)