Tuesday, August 30 2005 15:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jerusalem: India and Israel have held foreign ministry consultations to review bilateral, regional and multilateral issues to find ways to enhance cooperation in diversified fields such as economy and commerce, science and technology.

At the ninth round of foreign ministry consultations between the two sides, officials from Israel briefed the Indian side on the recent developments in the Middle East and Tel Aviv's implementation of its Disengagement Plan.

The Indian side was led by Secretary (East) Rajiv Sikri and Israel by Deputy Director General for Asia and Pacific Amos Nadai.

"Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom updated the Indian delegation on the latest developments in the Middle East, with emphasis on relations between Israel and the Palestinians in light of the Israel's implementation of its Disengagement Plan", according to a foreign ministry release.

"The two sides had a wide-ranging and constructive exchange of views in a friendly atmosphere," it said.

The discussions focussed on finding ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in diversified fields such as economy and commerce, culture, science and technology, and people-to-people contacts.

Sikri is on a six-day tour of the region. He had earlier held talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei.