Musharraf's sticky mess
President General or is it General President Pervez Musharraf is in a little bit of trouble. The US policy in the region is also in trouble. In 2001, after 9/11 we decided to embrace Musharraf because he was “willing” to help us in the war on terror. The current mess illustrates our talking about democracy on one hand and cozying up to a dictator on the other.
This video has a rare American interview with former Prime Minister Benazair Bhutto. Masharraf is rumored to be talking with Bhutto about some power sharing deal to qwell the unrest in his country. Bhutto is currently saying the right things that Washington wants to hear. Also, there was a rumor about Masharraf declaring Marshall law. That seems to have disappeared.
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From NYT:
Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, was on the brink of declaring a state of emergency in his increasingly volatile country but backed away after a gathering storm of media, political and diplomatic pressure, Pakistani officials acknowledged on Thursday.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned General Musharraf about 2 a.m. Thursday in Pakistan, the State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said. Bush administration officials refused to discuss in public what was said, but one Pakistani official said that Ms. Rice exhorted General Musharraf not to declare emergency rule. The conversation lasted about 15 minutes.
“She thought it was an opportune moment to talk about a couple of things,” Mr. McCormack said without elaborating. (more…)