Rice urges return to democracy in Pakistan; Pentagon says declaration does not affect support
ISTANBUL, Turkey - The Bush administration said Saturday it was deeply disturbed by the state of emergency in Pakistan and urged a swift return to a democratic and civilian government. The Pentagon said Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s declaration does not impact U.S. military support of Pakistan, however.
The stakes are high and Defense Secretary Robert Gates is monitoring the situation, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said as the defense chief traveled to China.
“Pakistan is a very important ally in the war on terror and he is closely following the developments there,” Morrell told reporters traveling with Gates.
The emergency declaration “does not impact our military support of Pakistan” or its efforts in the war on terror, Morrell said.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is taking the U.S. lead in dealing with the situation, Morrell said, and Gates had not spoken to Musharraf and had no immediate plans to.
Rice said that, to her knowledge, U.S. officials had yet to hear from Musharraf since his declaration Saturday, although the Bush administration had long urged him against such a move.
“The U.S. has made clear it does not support extraconstitutional measures because those measures take Pakistan away from the path of democracy and civilian rule,” Rice said. “Whatever happens we will be urging a quick return to civilian rule.”
Adm. William J. Fallon, head of U.S. Central Command, met with Musharraf and other top generals on Friday to discuss the security situation in northwest Pakistan. But Fallon did not threaten to cut off U.S. military aid to the Pakistani government, Morrell said. And he said he has “no sense at this point that there is an imminent review” planned to look at whether aid should be affected.