US in hush-hush talks over power sharing in Pakistan

UNITED STATES: The United States said it was discussing reforms with key political players in Pakistan amid reported plans to get President Pervez Musharraf to share power with opposition rival Benazir Bhutto.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed the power-sharing arrangement idea in a telephone call to military ruler Musharraf last week, the New York Times reported Thursday, quoting American and Pakistani officials.

Former premier Bhutto also has been holding talks in recent weeks with senior officials of President George W. Bush's administration, including US envoy to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad, the paper said.

US officials believe that an alliance with Bhutto would be Musharraf's best chance of remaining president, the report said, noting declining domestic support for the military general, a key US "war on terror" ally.

The White House said that top US officials had met with major Pakistani political players in an effort to bring about "a moderate political center" and free and fair elections there.

"We support free and fair elections in Pakistan. We have met with various parties there," said national security council spokesman Gordon Johndroe in Crawford as Bush took a vacation on his Texas ranch.

Johndroe described the decisions as "ultimately ... for the people of Pakistan to make."

"What the United States wants to see is a peaceful, prosperous, secure, stable Pakistan - that's in the interests of the Pakistanis, the interests of the region, and interests of the whole world. We want to see a moderate political center form there, following democratic processes," he added. But Johndroe stopped short of confirming reports that Washington was prodding Musharraf to share power with Bhutto.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that while pushing for political moderation, Washington does not have "any particular favorite candidates" and is not "picking and choosing political parties."

He refused to give any details of "as for the who, what, when and where of discussions" on the political situation in Pakistan.

The Times, quoting several unnamed officials of President George W. Bush's administration American officials, said the "first step" under the power sharing deal could be a decision by Musharraf to allow open parliamentary polls next month as Bhutto's party appeared poised to win the largest share of the vote.

A victory by her party could pave the way for Bhutto to become prime minister, but she would probably need Musharraf's support to overcome "further obstacles," including a law prohibiting former prime ministers from returning to that office, the paper said.

Bhutto's support could be crucial to helping Musharraf to victory in subsequent presidential elections that would allow him to stay in his current job, according to the report.

Earlier a senior US official said Musharraf was committed to a stable transition from military rule, as troops killed 10 militants in continuing border unrest.

With Musharraf - a close ally in the "war on terror" - under intense domestic pressure over his dual role as president and head of the army since seizing power in a 1999 coup, US official Richard Boucher said the general was committed to new elections.

"There's a definite commitment there for the election, but it's also part of a bigger programme," said Boucher, the US assistant secretary of state for South Asia.

"It fits with making a stable transition from military rule to a newly-elected government this fall, and that's a process we look forward to," he said.

"He's worked for many years on a programme to develop society, to open up the media, to open up civil society," said Boucher. "These are all things that are committed to making a modern country."

"Our interest in this election is that it be free and fair, that the voters in Pakistan get a choice, and that they have the opportunity to decide on the next government," Boucher said. But Boucher stressed that Musharraf - who supported the Taliban in Afghanistan before the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 - was a valued US ally.

"The United States and Pakistan are partners in the war on terror. We work together," he said.

"If either one of us has actionable intelligence we will work together to make sure those targets, those problems, those threats are dealt with."

Washington, Islamabad, Friday, AFP