Bowbow
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 20, 2007
- 541
- 31
WASHINGTON - President Bush told Pakistan's president on Wednesday that he must hold parliamentary elections and step down as army leader.
"You can't be the president and the head of the military at the same time," Bush said, describing a telephone call with Gen. Pervez Musharraf. "I had a very frank discussion with him."
Bush revealed the call to Musharraf during an appearance with the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, at George Washington's home in Mount Vernon, Va.
Since the declaration of emergency rule Saturday, the White House has faced questions about why Bush was taking a relatively soft line on the crackdown and had not spoken directly to Musharraf, whom Bush has called a friend he trusts.
"My message was that we believe strongly in elections and that you ought to have elections soon and you need to take off your uniform," Bush said.
Sarkozy agreed with Bush on the need "to have elections as quickly as possible" in Pakistan.
The Bush administration has been careful not to go too far in rebuking a terrorism-fighting ally. By contrast, the U.S. took a hard line when Myanmar's military rulers cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in September.
"There is a difference," Bush said. "Pakistan has been on the path to democracy. Burma hasn't been on the path to democracy. It requires different tactics to achieve the common objective."
The second-ranking State Department official said Musharraf is an "indispensable" ally in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism and that "partnership with Pakistan and its people is the only option."
"No country has done more in terms of inflicting damage and punishment on the Taliban and the al-Qaida since 9-11," Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte he said. "Their record is quite impressive."
Negroponte also told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that administration officials "strongly disagree" with Musharraf's moves against his political opponents and counseled Musharraf against emergency rule.
The administration is reviewing its aid to Pakistan. Musharraf said his decisions to suspend the constitution and oust its top judge were necessary to prevent a takeover by Islamic extremists.
Negroponte said he is hoping the U.S. will not have to punish Pakistan.
"I think that the longer the situation goes on in its present form, the more difficult it's going to become," he said. "That's why we believe this state of emergency end absolutely as soon as possible."
Many lawmakers are skeptical. They say the U.S. should be more serious about penalizing Pakistan and that Musharraf should not be so readily praised.
"Our foreign policy should not be faith-based," said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., who heads the subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia.
A senior officer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters at the Pentagon that communication and cooperation with the Pakistani military along the Afghan border have not been affected by the political crisis. More than half of U.S. supplies to forces in Afghanistan go through Pakistan.
Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs, said cooperation along the border is crucial to U.S. war efforts.
"Those military operations, conducted by forces on either side of the border, are done with increasing openness, collaboration, synchronization. There's good communication between U.S. and Afghan forces on the one side and the Pakistan forces on the other. And we would certainly not want to see that jeopardized in any way," Ham said.
A senior member of Musharraf's legal team said at the Middle East Institute that the U.S. is more worried about fighting terrorists than about seeing democracy flourish in his country.
Ahmad Raza Khan Qasuri, an advocate at Pakistan's Supreme Court, also warned the U.S. that "we expect from our friends advice, not dictation. We are a sovereign country."
Source:http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rs....com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_pakistan
Ilipotokea Burma sactions ziliwekwa immediately. Mugabe nae anaambiwa ni Dictator hatendi haki watu wake. Jemusharafu anatenda haki?
Nawakilisha kwa michango
"You can't be the president and the head of the military at the same time," Bush said, describing a telephone call with Gen. Pervez Musharraf. "I had a very frank discussion with him."
Bush revealed the call to Musharraf during an appearance with the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, at George Washington's home in Mount Vernon, Va.
Since the declaration of emergency rule Saturday, the White House has faced questions about why Bush was taking a relatively soft line on the crackdown and had not spoken directly to Musharraf, whom Bush has called a friend he trusts.
"My message was that we believe strongly in elections and that you ought to have elections soon and you need to take off your uniform," Bush said.
Sarkozy agreed with Bush on the need "to have elections as quickly as possible" in Pakistan.
The Bush administration has been careful not to go too far in rebuking a terrorism-fighting ally. By contrast, the U.S. took a hard line when Myanmar's military rulers cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in September.
"There is a difference," Bush said. "Pakistan has been on the path to democracy. Burma hasn't been on the path to democracy. It requires different tactics to achieve the common objective."
The second-ranking State Department official said Musharraf is an "indispensable" ally in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism and that "partnership with Pakistan and its people is the only option."
"No country has done more in terms of inflicting damage and punishment on the Taliban and the al-Qaida since 9-11," Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte he said. "Their record is quite impressive."
Negroponte also told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that administration officials "strongly disagree" with Musharraf's moves against his political opponents and counseled Musharraf against emergency rule.
The administration is reviewing its aid to Pakistan. Musharraf said his decisions to suspend the constitution and oust its top judge were necessary to prevent a takeover by Islamic extremists.
Negroponte said he is hoping the U.S. will not have to punish Pakistan.
"I think that the longer the situation goes on in its present form, the more difficult it's going to become," he said. "That's why we believe this state of emergency end absolutely as soon as possible."
Many lawmakers are skeptical. They say the U.S. should be more serious about penalizing Pakistan and that Musharraf should not be so readily praised.
"Our foreign policy should not be faith-based," said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., who heads the subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia.
A senior officer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters at the Pentagon that communication and cooperation with the Pakistani military along the Afghan border have not been affected by the political crisis. More than half of U.S. supplies to forces in Afghanistan go through Pakistan.
Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs, said cooperation along the border is crucial to U.S. war efforts.
"Those military operations, conducted by forces on either side of the border, are done with increasing openness, collaboration, synchronization. There's good communication between U.S. and Afghan forces on the one side and the Pakistan forces on the other. And we would certainly not want to see that jeopardized in any way," Ham said.
A senior member of Musharraf's legal team said at the Middle East Institute that the U.S. is more worried about fighting terrorists than about seeing democracy flourish in his country.
Ahmad Raza Khan Qasuri, an advocate at Pakistan's Supreme Court, also warned the U.S. that "we expect from our friends advice, not dictation. We are a sovereign country."
Source:http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rs....com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_pakistan
Ilipotokea Burma sactions ziliwekwa immediately. Mugabe nae anaambiwa ni Dictator hatendi haki watu wake. Jemusharafu anatenda haki?
Nawakilisha kwa michango
