Musharraf: I'm no US "poodle"

BRITAIN: Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has rejected accusations he is a Western "poodle", saying his fight against Islamic militants is for his country's benefit, not for the United States or Britain.

"I am nobody's poodle," he said in an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper on Friday. "I have enough strength of my own to lead.

"When you talk about fighting terrorism or extremism, I am not doing that for the U.S. or Britain, I am doing it for Pakistan."

Musharraf, an important ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism, has faced repeated opposition protests about his relationship with U.S. President George W. Bush.

A 10,000-strong crowd gathered in the central Punjab region last month to hear opposition leader Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman call a visit by Bush an attempt at "enslaving the Pakistani nation and rewarding General Musharraf for his patriotism to America".

Newspapers have carried critical pieces on U.S. foreign policy in Pakistan and one has a "Mush & Bush" column lampooning the two leaders' relationship.

Asked by the Guardian if he had the "teeth" to bite back at his Western allies, Musharraf said: "Yes sir, I personally do - a lot of teeth. Sometimes the teeth do not have to be shown. Pragmatism is required in international relations."

Pakistan has captured or killed hundreds of al Qaeda members since Musharraf joined a U.S.-led war on terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

Anger has been building in Pakistan over repeated U.S. attacks in the country, including an airstrike in January which killed 18 civilians in the remote Bajaur region.

Musharraf told the Guardian: "The strike was an infringement of our sovereignty and I condemned it."

Meanwhile the United States and Pakistan launched a new strategic dialogue that sought to emphasize partnership on an array of issues but quickly demonstrated divisions over Iran, one of Washington's top foreign policy priorities.

While the U.S. side stressed the need for punitive action against Iran for defying the U.N. Security Council with its nuclear activities, the Pakistani side declined to endorse sanctions and stressed Iran's importance as a neighbor.

The talks were conducted by U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Raiz Khan to implement a commitment made when President George W. Bush visited Islamabad last March.

Burns told a news conference with his counterpart that since the Sept. 11 attacks, Pakistan had become "a critical ally of the United States with which we wish to establish a stable long-term relationship."

The discussions focused on bilateral concerns such as stability in South Asia, broader regional issues like Iran, counterterrorism cooperation, trade, education and efforts to develop Afghanistan-Pakistan tribal border regions where al Qaeda and other militants live.

Asked if Pakistan backed sanctions on Iran, Khan said his country was not on the Security Council and so "will not be engaged in any discussion" on the issue.

Earlier Burns said that the Bush administration will formally ask the U.S. Congress to approve the sale of American-made F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

He made the announcement after talks with Pakistani Foreign Secretary who said the package would be scaled-down from an earlier request and include old as well as new aircraft.

Burns said he reassured Khan "we are committed to the sale of American F-16 aircraft to Pakistan and we intend to begin (formal) consultations with Congress shortly." London, Washington, Friday, Reuters