Pakistan moderates should band together-US official

ISLAMABAD, Aug 16 (Reuters) The United States wants moderate Pakistani politicians to join forces to strengthen the fight against militancy, a senior US official said today amid concern over President Pervez Musharraf's grip on power.

The New York Times had reported earlier that the United States was quietly pushing Musharraf to share power with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, having met the Pakistan leadership during a two-day visit to Islamabad, declined to respond when asked if the United States was mediating between the two.

He said the Pakistani people should chose their next government in elections and he had been encouraging political leaders to help ensure the vote is free and fair.

''I've also encouraged them to look at what can be done to strengthen the moderate centre of Pakistani politics. The body politic here, by and large, wants to modernise the nation... wants to have a safe society,'' Boucher said.

''The more that those tendencies can be brought forward and joined, the more solid base there is to deal with the serious problem of extremism,'' he told a news conference.

Musharraf, preparing to seek a second term in office, faces a deepening political crisis and met Bhutto in Abu Dhabi last month for talks on a deal in the run-up to a presidential and parliamentary elections.

Despite their fierce rivalry, both want to see a moderate Pakistan and speak of the need to tackle militant Islam.

Army chief Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, is expected in coming weeks to seek re-election by the national and provincial assemblies before they are dissolved to pave the way for a general election.

Bhutto has demanded Musharraf resign from the army and seek re-election from the assemblies formed after the general election.

STRAINED TIES Boucher's visit comes as relations have been strained by complaints Pakistan is not doing enough to tackle al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Pakistan said on Wednesday a US law passed this month linking aid to progress in the fight militancy, and comments from the United States over possible unilateral US military action against militants on Pakistani territory, hurt cooperation.

Asked about remarks in the United States, including by a White House official that America would strike inside Pakistan if it had ''actionable intelligence'' on high-value al Qaeda targets, Boucher said the two countries would work together.

''If either one of us had actionable intelligence on a threat, people who represent threats both to our nation and Pakistan, we would work together, we would both work to ensure that those threats were dealt with.'' Musharraf has ruled out allowing foreign troops to operate in Pakistan, saying his forces would deal with militants.

REUTERS SBC PM2227