US Assistant Secretary of State for the State Department's Arms Control Bureau, Stephen Rademaker, led the team from Washington.

"Both sides exchanged views on regional and strategic security issues and reviewed the progress of arms control treaties to which the two countries were signatories," a foreign ministry statement said.

"The role and importance of the Conference on Disarmament as the sole multilateral negotiating body to deal with important global disarmament and arms control issues was also discussed."

They agreed to hold further discussions, the statement added without elaborating.

Neither Pakistan nor its neighbouring nuclear rival, India, are signatories to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) or the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The US is eager to lower the risk of nuclear war between Pakistan and India, who were close to conflict this time last year and have already fought three wars.

While trying not to be seen as mediator, Washington is encouraging the recent diplomatic thaw between the South Asian giants and nudging them to dialogue.

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage flew to the capitals of both countries earlier this month to encourage their mutual moves to normalise relations.

Pakistani leaders have declared during the diplomatic detente that they would get rid of their nuclear arsenal if India followed suit, but stressed they would never do so unilaterally. India responded by saying it would not do as Pakistan was not the object of its nuclear program.

Armitage stressed that talks between Pakistan and India on arms reduction would be a long way off, and urged the two sides to consolidate economic and political ties first.

Pakistan came out of the nuclear closet in May 1998 when it conducted a series of nuclear tests in the wake of similar tests by India.

WAR.WIRE