February 11, 2009 3:55 PM
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Bush To Musharraf: "Take Off Your Uniform"
President Bush personally told Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Wednesday that he must hold parliamentary elections and relinquish his post as head of his country's army.
"You can't be the president and the head of the military at the same time," Mr. Bush said, describing a telephone call with Musharraf. "I had a very frank discussion with him."
Mr. Bush revealed the call to Musharraf during an appearance with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Mount Vernon, the Virginia home of the first U.S. president, George Washington.
Since Musharraf declared emergency rule on Saturday, the White House has faced repeated questions about why Mr. Bush was taking a relatively soft line against Musharraf for the crackdown and had not spoken directly to the Pakistani leader, a man he 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," Mr. Bush said.
Sarkozy agreed on the need "to have elections as quickly as possible" in Pakistan.
Careful not to go too far in rebuking a close anti-terrorism ally, the Bush administration's response to Musharraf's actions has been mild. It stands in sharp contrast to the administration's tougher stance taken when Myanmar's military regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in September, for instance.
"There is a difference," Mr. 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."
On Capitol Hill, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Musharraf is an "indispensable" ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism and that "partnership with Pakistan and its people is the only option."
In prepared testimony, Negroponte also told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that administration officials "strongly disagree" with Musharraf's crackdown on his political opponents.
"We strongly counseled against emergency rule, but Pakistan's leadership did not follow our advice," Negroponte said.
While he acknowledges an ongoing review of U.S. aid to Pakistan in light of the crisis, Negroponte does not announce any changes to U.S. policy.
Musharraf "has been indispensable in the global war on terror, so indispensable that extremists and radicals have tried to assassinate him multiple times," Negroponte said. "The bottom line is, there's no question that we Americans have a stake in Pakistan."
Negroponte also urged Musharraf to follow through with commitments to convene elections and relinquish his position as Army chief.
"The current state of emergency calls into question these commitments, but we should work to achieve their fulfillment, not preemptively write them off," he said.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "You can't be the president and the head of the military at the same time," Mr. Bush said, describing a telephone call with Musharraf. "I had a very frank discussion with him."
Mr. Bush revealed the call to Musharraf during an appearance with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Mount Vernon, the Virginia home of the first U.S. president, George Washington.
Since Musharraf declared emergency rule on Saturday, the White House has faced repeated questions about why Mr. Bush was taking a relatively soft line against Musharraf for the crackdown and had not spoken directly to the Pakistani leader, a man he 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," Mr. Bush said.
Sarkozy agreed on the need "to have elections as quickly as possible" in Pakistan.
Careful not to go too far in rebuking a close anti-terrorism ally, the Bush administration's response to Musharraf's actions has been mild. It stands in sharp contrast to the administration's tougher stance taken when Myanmar's military regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in September, for instance.
"There is a difference," Mr. 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."
On Capitol Hill, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Musharraf is an "indispensable" ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism and that "partnership with Pakistan and its people is the only option."
In prepared testimony, Negroponte also told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that administration officials "strongly disagree" with Musharraf's crackdown on his political opponents.
"We strongly counseled against emergency rule, but Pakistan's leadership did not follow our advice," Negroponte said.
While he acknowledges an ongoing review of U.S. aid to Pakistan in light of the crisis, Negroponte does not announce any changes to U.S. policy.
Musharraf "has been indispensable in the global war on terror, so indispensable that extremists and radicals have tried to assassinate him multiple times," Negroponte said. "The bottom line is, there's no question that we Americans have a stake in Pakistan."
Negroponte also urged Musharraf to follow through with commitments to convene elections and relinquish his position as Army chief.
"The current state of emergency calls into question these commitments, but we should work to achieve their fulfillment, not preemptively write them off," he said.
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