Bush says knew of no threat to bomb Pakistan

WASHINGTON, Sep 22 (Reuters) President George W Bush said on Friday he knew of no US threat to bomb Pakistan following the September. 11 attacks.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said this week a US official warned his country in 2001 that America would bomb Pakistan ''back to the Stone Age'' if it did not cooperate with the campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

''The first I've heard of this is when I read it in the newspaper today,'' Bush said as he stood next to Musharraf at a news conference. ''I guess I was taken aback by the harshness of the words.'' Musharraf sidestepped the issue, saying he could not comment because of a book deal.

The Pakistani leader had told the CBS program ''60 Minutes'' that the threat came from then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage but Armitage has since denied making such a warning.

REUTERS MS PM2110