US Says Musharraf Must End Emergency Rule
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- Washington’s No. 2 diplomat delivered a blunt message to Pakistan’s military ruler, telling him that emergency rule must be lifted and his opponents freed ahead of elections.
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte’s visit was seen as a last best chance to avoid political turmoil in Pakistan. He met for more than two hours Saturday with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan’s deputy army commander, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani.
“I urged the government to stop such actions, lift the state of emergency and release all political detainees,” Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told a news conference at the U.S. embassy Sunday at the end of his trip. “Emergency rule is not compatible with free, fair and credible elections.”
But Negroponete also praised Musharraf’s efforts in the war on terror, and said he was heartened by the announcement of an election date for January 9.
Musharraf has insisted—publicly and in his meeting with Negroponte—that he will not lift the widely criticized emergency powers unless the security situation improves.
Thousands of opponents have been jailed, Supreme Court judges purged and independent TV stations muffled since the state of emergency came into effect Nov. 3. Just ahead of Negroponte’s visit, Musharraf freed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and a leading human rights activist, and loosened his restrictions on several independent television news outlets.
Negroponte was measured in his comments, but expressed some impatience with Musharraf, saying he hoped to see more steps toward democracy soon. “There remain some other issues that are yet to be considered, or yet to be undertaken,” he said, without going into detail.
An official in the president’s office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk with the media, said Musharraf told Negroponte the emergency was needed to hold a successful vote.
Going into Saturday’s meeting, senior Bush administration officials were clear on what they wanted: an end to the emergency, a date set for legislative elections in January, the release of opposition leaders and that Musharraf step down as army chief.
Kayani is widely expected to take over the powerful role of military chief when Musharraf sheds his uniform and starts his second term as president in the coming weeks.
Shortly after arriving in Pakistan, Negroponte phoned Bhutto, the highest-level U.S. contact with the Pakistani opposition leader since the emergency rule began. In their discussion, Negroponte underscored Washington’s opposition to the emergency and its desire to see her and other opposition figures free to peacefully take part in Pakistani politics, said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.
(AP)
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Didn’t we make the same mistake with pre-Islamic Iran? Let’s not let a group of two-bit terrorists take over another country!
November 17th, 2007 at 8:14 pmNegroponte?
I wouldn’t send that elitist bastard to represent me in traffic court. He is one of those State Department equivocating diplomacy wonks that has helped to create the situation in the ME we find ourselves in today.
Negroponte is the asshat who told Bob Novak Valerie Plame was CIA, causing the lying skunk, Joe Wilson/Plame pseudo-scandal.
We need to get behind Gen.Musharraf and reveal that corrupt Bhutto for the trouble maker she has become. Help the General go out to kill Irhabis.
November 17th, 2007 at 8:30 pmCC, Negro(PHONY)ponte and Bhutto are both a disaster for the efforts in the WOT…the PHONY is a shill for the UNLOS treaty also!
November 18th, 2007 at 5:51 amWho in their right mind would request, much less demand, that the one person who is holding that country together relenquish conttol? That is just begging to hand nuclear weapons over to Jihadis. When will Bhutto be seen for the communist “useful idiot” that she is? Somebody should advise her that the USSR isn’t there anymore….
November 18th, 2007 at 9:48 am