Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa discussed the Middle East peace process on December 30, especially the resumed peace talks between Syria and Israel, Egypt's Middle East News Agency reported.

Mubarak and al-Sharaa decided to maintain consultation and coordination between their two countries, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa told reporters after the meeting.

They also asserted the need to coordinate stances between Syria and the Palestinians on their separate peace talks with Israel, Moussa said.

Al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak held talks on December 15-16 in Washington, a signal of the resumption of Syrian- Israeli peace talks after a freeze of nearly four years.

They agreed to continue talks on January 3 on Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights, security arrangements and normalization of bilateral relations.

The Palestinians are negotiating with Israel for a final peace agreement on tough issues including borders, Jerusalem, refugees and Jewish settlements. The Palestinians have welcomed the resumption of the Syrian-Israeli talks, saying that any progress on the Syrian track will help promote the Palestinian track.

Al-Sharaa has left for Syria after ending his lightening visit in Cairo, during which he conveyed a message to Mubarak from Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

Describing the message as important, al-Sharaa said before departure that it dealt with Syria's stance on the peace process and its developments, as well as Damascus' expectations from the coming round of negotiations with Israel.

Syria insists on complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights while Israel hopes to maintain early warning systems on the strategic plateau as part of the security arrangements.

Syria showed its strong resentment against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1993 for making a peace deal with Israel without consulting other Arab parties.

But Cairo's ties with Damascus improved after a visit earlier this month to Syria by Moussa with a letter from Mubarak to Assad.