Pakistani leader softens criticism of U.S.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf yesterday softened his criticism of the United States for a recent missile attack by drone aircraft here that killed both suspected terrorists and civilians.
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In comments to a group of American and Asian journalists, including one from U.S. News, that was organized by the East-West Center of Honolulu, Musharraf coupled a rebuke of the U.S. action as "a violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan" that he had "condemned" with even stronger criticism of Pakistanis who are "harboring" terrorists in the dangerous borderlands with Afghanistan.
Over the weekend, Musharraf said that five al Qaeda-linked terrorists died in the January 13 airstrike. U.S. officials say the main target was al Qaeda deputy Ayman Zawahiri, but he was not present when the attack occurred. Pakistani authorities have also said that several women and children perished in the strike near the remote village of Damadola.
Pakistan protested the attack, which ignited demonstrations in several cities and hurt Musharraf politically at home. Pakistani officials have said that they did not approve of and were not consulted before the strike, but some U.S. officials have suggested otherwise.
With anti-American sentiment here strong and skepticism widespread about the scope of al Qaeda's presence in the lawless tribal areas near Afghanistan, the drone attacks have increased pressure on Musharraf to loosen his close antiterrorism cooperation with the United States. But he insisted yesterday that the cooperation with Washington would continue undiluted. He said Pakistan has a "very, very clear" agreement with the United States that only Pakistani forces will operate on their side of the Afghan border; other officials have described prearranged mechanisms for consultation whenever intelligence indicates the presence of terrorists in Pakistan.
"The whole arrangement is very good," said Musharraf. In response to a question from U.S. News, he professed satisfaction with Bush administration assurances that raids of the Damadola type will not be repeated.
Musharraf, in what may be his most hard-hitting comments yet on the collusion of some Pakistanis with al Qaeda, singled out villagers who are abetting terrorists.
"They are guilty from all points of view," he said. And he said foreign terrorists convening in Pakistan were "violating our sovereignty more" than the U.S. missile strikes did.
"We want them out," he said of al Qaeda.
Musharraf, 62, a general who took power in a bloodless 1999 coup, spoke from his British colonial-era mansion within a walled Army compound in this city near the capital of Islamabad. He appeared at ease during most of the hour-plus session, showing anger only on the subject of the European newspaper cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.
Musharraf commiserated with angry protesters in Pakistan and elsewhere.
"Even the most moderate Muslim will go into the street and talk against it," he said. He said the "excuse of free press" could not justify hurting the feelings of a billion Muslims. "It's sad and pathetic," he added.
Musharraf will host President Bush for a brief visit expected early next month and said he will stress building up economic ties. Pakistan's economy is growing at around 7 percent annually at the moment. Pakistan, he says, "wants trade, not aid." Bush is likely to repeat U.S. opposition to a proposed natural gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan—and potentially on to India.
Musharraf, however, said that "we are for it absolutely because we need the gas." He also indicated that he would again ask Bush to actively support Islamabad's negotiations with New Delhi over the disputed territory of Kashmir, calling the region "a nuclear flashpoint." India opposes any direct U.S. role in talks. While the administration has been rapidly beefing up relations with India, Musharraf says he saw Pakistan's relations with the United States as separate.
"We are looking toward a broad-based and long-term relationship with the United States," he said.
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