Bush reiterates support for Pakistani president

Source: Xinhua | 01-04-2008 08:08

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush reiterated U.S. support for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday, saying he has always been a supporter of the Pakistani president.

"I think that whoever wins the election is somebody with whom President Musharraf should work, and of course we will be a strongally of Pakistan," Bush said in an exclusive interview with Reuters at the White House.

Bush attributed his trust in Musharraf to a fact that the Pakistani leader has been strong in fighting terrorism and held tohis pledge to step down from his military post and hold elections.

"He's an ally," Bush was quoted as saying.

The U.S. president also urged the world to support Musharraf when Pakistan is facing political crisis after Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated last week.

"It's in the interest of the world to help Pakistan recover from this terrible incident and have a strong democracy, that's exactly what the position of the U.S. government is," Bush said.

Pakistan postponed its parliamentary elections to Feb. 18 from Jan. 8 in the wake of violence following the assassination of Bhutto.

The Bush administration has provided nearly 11 billion U.S. dollars in aid to Pakistan since 2001, most of it in military hardware and cash support for the country's operating budget.

Musharraf quit as army chief in November before being sworn in for a second 5-year term as president.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei