Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday declared their commitment to make joint efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"We are working closely to prevent a repeat of the tragedy in Gaza and to ensure a permanent truce," Gul told a joint press conference after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart at Istanbul's Ciragan Palace.

Praising Egypt's efforts in prompting reconciliation among the Palestinians, Gul said that they agreed it was important to resolve the division between Hamas and Fatah in order to attain a permanent solution in the region.

"Turkey supports all the activities carried out by Egypt in an effort to provide a permanent ceasefire," Gul was quoted by the semi-official Anatolia news agency as saying.

Meanwhile, he reiterated a Turkish delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, would attend an international conference for Gaza's reconstruction which is scheduled to be held in Cairo on March 2.

For his part, Mubarak said both Turkey and Egypt attached great importance to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was devastated by a three-week Israeli offensive.

Mubarak called for a greater role of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the internationally-recognized representative of the Palestinians which is dominated by Abbas' Fatah faction.

"I have stressed the importance for the PLO to maintain its historic position," said Mubarak.

The PLO, an umbrella organization comprising eight different Palestinian groups, is regarded by the international community as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

Turkey supports Abbas' role in the process but has also been advocating a policy of engaging the militant group Hamas, which has been shunned by Israel, the West and some Arab nations.

The Egyptian president, who is on a two-day visit to Turkey, also meet Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan later on Wednesday.

Egypt is about to host an aid conference on March 2 aiming to raise money to rebuild Gaza and is also trying to secure a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by giving proposals including a prisoner exchange and the initial opening of at least two of the Gaza's border crossings.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since Israel ended a 22-day military offensive in Gaza on January 18. Gaza's Hamas rulers announced their own ceasefire in the same day. However, scattered violence is straining the truce.

Turkey has recently boosted its popularity among all Palestinian groups, including Hamas. Taking the increased support for Turkey into consideration, Egypt expects to get Turkey's support in its efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire.

More than 100 demonstrators, carrying posters of Hamas leaders, protested the arrival of Mubarak in downtown Istanbul, accusing him of siding with Israel.