Rice expected to nudge Musharraf to restore democracy

Asked whether Rice would urge Musharraf to give up his top army post, deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said Thursday: "If the subject comes up, we would reiterate our longstanding policy, which is that movement toward democracy is to be encouraged, is to be welcomed.

"And that we want to help support Pakistan as it takes the steps to answer the people's call."

But Ereli emphasized that the United States believed that Musharraf, a key ally in the war on terrorism, "is committed to moving in the right direction, he has taken and is taking steps to move in the right direction.

"And we will encourage him to continue in that vein."

Washington has taken a soft line in its campaign for democratic reforms in Pakistan because it relies heavily on the South Asian state to stem terrorism, particularly in efforts to nab Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

The al-Qaeda leader and his top aides are believed to be hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, pushed through a new law in parliament last year enabling him to continue as military chief despite earlier pledging to relinquish his dual post.

Musharraf has said that donning military uniform was crucial in his highly complicated campaign against the al-Qaeda network and other Islamic militants and to seek a settlement of the thorny Kashmir dispute with India.

Ereli sidestepped questions that the Bush administration was not taking an aggressive stand against Pakistan despite its much publicized pledge to push for democracy and freedom as a key priority in its second term.

"I think President Musharraf has spoken to this issue, has indicated the direction he's moving in and, frankly, the general direction is toward democratic change and shaping Pakistani institutions to reflect that tendency, including what uniforms he wears or doesn't wear," Ereli said.

When told that Musharraf had gone back on his word on giving up his army post and he might need prodding from the United States, Ereli said: "I wouldn't put it that way."

Musharraf has won Bush's firm alliance since he sided with Washington to oust Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, originally backed by Pakistan, after the September 11 attacks.

Pakistan is now in the frontline of the global crackdown on terrorism, and its security forces have captured some 600 al-Qaeda suspects in the past three years.

Ereli also expressed concern over the first public disclosure in Islamamad Thursday that the disgraced father of Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, had provided Iran with centrifuges needed to enrich uranium.