Musharraf telephoned Bush, who was here for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, to ask for help in building "international momentum" ahead of a November 19 donors conference, said Mike Green, the senior director for Asia on the US National Security Council.

Musharraf gave the US president a summary of the situation in Pakistan following the October 8 quake, which killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistan and made some three million people homeless.

Musharraf has said Pakistan needs 5.2 billion dollars to recover.

Bush "promised he would look at ways to help" and would instruct US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to come up with detailed plans to do so, Green told reporters.