The United States said Thursday it expects Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf to honor commitments on the issue of dual leadership, but said the Pakistanis will have to make the decision whether he should step down as military chief.
"President Musharraf said that he would address this issue of dual leadership of both his combined civilian and military role as army chief and as president in accordance with the constitution ... He's made commitment in that regard, and we would expect that he would honor them," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.
"In terms of U.S. discussions with Pakistani officials, this is something where we certainly do talk with both officials of the government, as well as members of the major political parties.
But these are decisions that the Pakistanis themselves are going to make," Casey said.
According to media reports, Musharraf is under pressure from former prime minister Benazir Bhutto to step down as army chief under a possible power-sharing deal. However, Musharraf's spokesman said the president will not rush into making an announcement.
Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
Source: Xinhua
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