Barak secretly meets Pakistan president

Defense Minister Ehud Barak secretly met last week with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, Israel's Channel 2 reported Sunday. The two met in Paris and discussed the Iranian nuclear threat and the situation in the Middle East.

The leaders met each other by chance last Tuesday in the hotel where Barak was staying during his visit to France, and spoke briefly.

On the following day, Musharraf invited Barak for a meeting that focused on Iran's nuclear program and Israel's concerns that Pakistan's nuclear secrets might fall into the hands of extremist Islamist groups.

According to the Channel 2 report, the meeting lasted about an hour, during which Barak expressed his concern over the growth of radical Islam in Pakistan.

Musharraf, on his part, reassured Barak that his country's nuclear weapons were well-secured and that there was no risk they would end up in the wrong hands.

Defense Ministry officials confirmed that the meeting has taken place.