Bush calls Musharraf strong ally in war against extremists

Washington, July 11 (UNI) US President George W Bush has publicly extended support to his Pakistan counterpart Gen Pervez Musharraf, describing him as a ''strong ally in the war against extremists.'' ''I like him and I appreciate him. I am, of course, constantly working with him to make sure that democracy continues to advance in Pakistan,'' Mr Bush said yesterday during a public appearance at Cleveland in Ohio.

''He's been a valuable ally in rejecting extremists. And that's important, to cultivate those allies.'' Earlier, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack took note of the restraint with which Pakistan security forces had handled the standoff at Islamabad's Lal Masjid where militants were holding some students and others as hostages, forcing a confrontation with the authorities.

''As I understand it, it still is an ongoing matter with respect to the Red Mosque,'' he said.

The spokesman noted the Pakistan security forces had gone in there after exercising ''a great deal of patience and restraint in offering every possible opportunity for innocents that may still be in the mosque to leave, as well as offering those who have threatened to use violence and, in fact, have used violence in an opportunity to resolve the situation peacefully.'' He said, ''I understand that there have been 40 to 50 deaths of violent extremists who were in the mosque.'' Eight Pakistan soldiers have also been killed in the action.

''Of course, everybody wants to see these kinds of situations resolved peacefully. It's everybody's optimal solution,'' Mr McCormack said.

He, however, said, ''it is fundamentally a matter for the government (of Pakistan) to decide when negotiations end and when action needs to take place to bring some sort of resolution to the situation.'' Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott Stanzel also said ''it is an internal matter for the Pakistan government to address. What remains clear is, in places throughout the world the threat of extremists is real, but that operation is a matter for the Pakistan government.'' UNI