By Susannah Price BBC correspondent in Islamabad

A high-ranking American defence official currently visiting Pakistan has admitted there has been only limited success in tracking down al-Qaeda fighters.

The US Under Secretary of Defence, Douglas J Feith, said he was looking at various ways to help Pakistan find al-Qaeda supporters, including training and equipment.

Mr Feith was part of a 40-member delegation which came to Pakistan for the first formal meeting of the recently revived Pakistan-US Defence Consultative Group.

It was the first meeting since Pakistan's nuclear tests, and for the Americans at least the war against terror was top of the agenda.

Kashmir

Mr Feith said Pakistan had been exerting itself with great effect, to stop al-Qaeda fighters crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan.

But, he said, it was difficult terrain and they had not had as much success as they would have liked.

Feith: Wants Kashmir de-escalation

He said they were looking at ways of enhancing Pakistan's capabilities, in terms of training, equipment and intelligence co-operation.

However, Pakistan's Defence Secretary, Lieutenant General Hamid Nawaz Khan, warned the current stand-off with India meant Pakistan was not able to allocate adequate resources to guarding the Afghan border.

He said the bulk of the army was deployed on its other front against India.

Pakistan is keen for international mediation in its dispute with India, but Delhi has said it is a bilateral matter.

Mr Feith said America was also interested in seeing de-escalation in the stand-off between India and Pakistan and that he hoped diplomacy would be successful.

He said the Americans had also made it clear they hoped Pakistan would ensure there was no infiltration of militants across the dividing line of control in Kashmir.

The Pakistani side said a key priority during the meeting was improving their conventional weapons capabilities, and that a list had been handed over to the Americans.