Bush sees positive signs in Pakistan

President Bush stepped up praise of Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf Saturday, hailing "positive steps" the general took by promising to lift emergency rule, resign as army chief and hold elections.
Indeed, Bush refused to pointedly criticise Musharraf at a joint news conference here with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, continuing the cautious and measured response he's embraced in the week since Musharraf imposed the crackdown.
Bush did, however, dodge a question whether Musharraf's moves, seen by many as an attempt to cling to power, constitute a dangerous distraction from the battle against al-Qaeda insurgents.
Speaking after two days of meetings with Merkel, the president said he has confidence in the commitment of Pakistan's leadership to stick with the US in the fight against global terrorism. "We share a common goal," Bush said.
Musharraf aligned himself with Washington after the Sept. 11 attacks on US soil, Bush noted, suggesting the Pakistani has given him no reason to doubt him since that decision. In fact, Bush added, several al-Qaeda leaders have been brought to justice, "and that wouldn't have happened without President Musharraf honouring his word."
"I take a person for his word until otherwise," Bush said. "He made a clear decision to be with us and he's acted on that advice."
The remarks essentially were an endorsement of Musharraf.
The embattled Pakistani insists he had no choice but to move aggressively to prevent Islamic extremists from gaining control of his nuclear-armed country. But the crackdown has mostly targeted his political, judicial and media critics. Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto spent Friday under house arrest, for instance.
Hours before Bush's news conference, Musharraf's government announced plans to lift the state of emergency within one month and hold parliamentary elections by Feb. 15, one month later than originally scheduled.