Zardari said he was not contemplating a split with the key partner in the coalition government and would continue working with Sharif despite recent disagreement.

"I am not looking at a minus-Nawaz position," Zardari told a news conference on Wednesday after meeting with party aides at his Islamabad residence. "I'm looking at a plus-Nawaz position where I take him on every step."

"Even if we agree to disagree on some issues, we should agree on most of them," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2008)