ISLAMABAD " Pakistan People's Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari spent lengthy hours on Sunday discussing with Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani and his cabinet members to keep the four-party coalition government intact and hammer out the irritants marring the government's smooth functioning. Zardari also held one-on-one meeting with Gilani. On the occasion, the Prime Minister briefed him on his recent meetings with ANP President Asfandyar Wali and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who had also recently met with Asif Ali Zardari in Dubai. The sources privy to the development informed TheNation that during the meeting, which lasted for well over seven hours, host of issues including cabinet expansion, appointment of Chairmen and Parliamentary Secretaries for the National Assembly Standing Committees, concerns of ANP and JUI-F with the coalition government, strategy about the ongoing military operation in Tribal Areas and standoff on the judges reinstatement were discussed. The sources further said that Asif Zardari expressed his resolve that the ruling coalition would be kept intact at all costs and he would himself talk to PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif. He also said that the judges issue would be resolved amicably through negotiations. It was further decided in the meeting that the ministries vacated by the PML-N would be kept open and another attempt would be made to bring the PML-N ministers back to the Federal Cabinet. The sources closely monitoring the development on political horizon said that in this connection JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had left for London to facilitate some middle way for the two main ruling coalition partners, PPP and PML-N, entangled in the judges reinstatement issue. The sources further disclosed that after the deadlock between PPP and PML-N over the judges reinstatement issue prolonged, the other coalition partners, ANP and JUI-F, have sprung into action and besides raising their party concerns with the PPP have advised Premier Gilani to break the impasse on the judges issue, as the very survival of the alliance hinges on it. The sources close to the PPP leadership said that Asif Ali Zardari, Premier Gilani and other cabinet members were of the view that efforts to bring back the PML-N leaders into the federal cabinet would be made. However, state ministers should be appointed to look after these ministries as the incumbent federal ministers, who have the additional charge of these ministries, are feeling overburdened. The sources further disclosed that Zardari also discussed with Premier Gilani and other cabinet members the re-launching of military operation in Tribal Areas. The issue would definitely figure in the coalition partners meeting scheduled for July 23 in Islamabad, the sources maintained. Premier Gilani also briefed Asif Ali Zardari about the concerns of the ANP and JUI-F and it was decided that all these concerns would be addressed and steps would be taken to avoid recurrence of such situation in future. Both Premier Gilani and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari also held one-on-one meeting and discussed ways and means to keep the coalition intact and the strategy to tackle the situation in case the impasse on judges issue prolongs. Coalition to be kept intact, says Zardari