[NYTr] Bhutto's Backflip

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

[Negroponte may have better luck persuading Benazir Bhutto to go along
with the US than he has had with Musharraf, whose tame judges have now
set an election date, and there's no sign of his giving in to US
demands to end his auto-coup. -NYTr]

The Australian - Nov 20, 2007
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22786081-2703,00.html


Bhutto's backflip as poll is called

by Bruce Loudon
South Asia correspondent

PAKISTANI President Pervez Musharraf yesterday nailed down January 8
for elections while opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, in yet another
political backflip, appeared to lay the groundwork for resuming
power-sharing negotiations with the military ruler.

"Inshallah (God willing), the general elections would be held on
January 8," a government statement quoted General Musharraf as telling
supporters in Karachi amid rumours of a possible meeting between him
and Ms Bhutto.

Both General Musharraf and Ms Bhutto were in the city at the same time
following the departure from Pakistan of top US diplomat John
Negroponte.

Mr Negroponte delivered a tough message to General Musharraf demanding
an immediate end to the country's state of emergency and restoration of
its constitution.

The meeting came as protests against General Musharraf's tactics spread
to Britain, where demonstrators, including Jemima Khan, the former wife
of detained politician Imran Khan, rallied outside Pakistan's High
Commission to call for an end to the emergency rule.

Mr Negroponte strongly advised both General Musharraf and Ms Bhutto,
whom he spoke to by phone, to shelve their differences and revive the
power-sharing talks they have been having over the past few months.

In an interview with CNN, Ms Bhutto said she was awaiting General
Musharraf's response to the discussions he'd had with Mr Negroponte.

She twice avoided criticising General Musharraf when asked to do so,
telling the interviewer instead: "I know where you want to take me.
Let's see first if he responds to Washington."

Ms Bhutto's response came amid rumours that General Musharraf was
preparing to accede to Saudi requests he meet the prime minister he
deposed in his 1999 coup, Nawaz Sharif.

General Musharraf had been scheduled to go to Riyadh last week for
discussions with the Saudi royal family, which plays a key role in
Pakistani affairs.

Because of his uncompromising line towards the regime, Mr Sharif enjoys
widespread popularity and the Saudis are apparently keen to get him
back to Pakistan to contest the election.

There was also intense speculation about two meetings Mr Negroponte
held with General Musharraf's nominated successor as army chief of
staff, General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, the former head of the ISI spy
agency.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the US military had
developed a plan that calls for recruiting Pakistani tribal leaders to
fight al-Qa'ida and the Taliban.

The US has used this tactic in Anbar province in Iraq, where the
military has been able to enlist some local Sunni tribal leaders to
back it in combating al-Qa'ida and other foreign fighters.

Citing unnamed US military officials, the Times said the plan was
prepared by staff at the Special Operations Command, but has not been
approved by command leaders.

However, several elements of the strategy have already been given the
green light in principle by the Pentagon and its Pakistani partners.
These include a $US350million ($391 million) proposal to train and
equip the Pakistani Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force that has about
85,000 members coming mostly from border tribes.

The report came amid unrest in Swat, a scenic northwestern valley where
pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah is leading a campaign for the
imposition of harsh Sharia law in the valley.

Additional reporting: Agencies