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Bush taken aback by "bomb attack" report

Praises President Musharraf in the fight against terrorism

WASHINGTON: United States President George W. Bush said on Friday he was ``taken aback'' by a purported U.S. threat to bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age if it did not cooperate in the fight against terrorism after the September 11 attacks.

He praised Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf for being one of the first foreign leaders to come out after the attacks to stand with the U.S. to ``help root out an enemy.''

At a joint White House news conference, Gen. Musharraf said a peace treaty between his Government and tribes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border is not meant to support the Taliban.

He said news reports had misinterpreted the deals. ``The deal is not at all with the Taliban. This deal is against the Taliban. This deal is with the tribal elders,'' Gen. Musharraf said.

Said Mr. Bush: ``I believe him.''

He said that Gen. Musharraf had looked him in the eye and vowed that ``the tribal deal is intended to reject the Talibanisation of the people and that there won't be a Taliban and there wont be Al-Qaeda [in Pakistan].''

Armitage denies charge

In an interview to air Sunday on CBS television's ``60 Minutes'' programme, Gen. Musharraf said that after the attacks, Richard Armitage, then Deputy Secretary of State, told Pakistan's intelligence director that the United States would bomb his country if it did not help fight terrorists. He said that Mr. Armitage had told him, ``Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age.''

Mr. Armitage has disputed the language attributed to him but did not deny the message was a strong one.

Asked about the report, Mr. Bush said, ``The first I heard of this is when I read it in the newspaper. I guess I was taken aback by the harshness of the words.''

For his part, Gen. Musharraf declined to comment and cited a contract agreement with a publisher on an upcoming book. However, he told CBS the Stone Age warning ``was a very rude remark.''

Pakistan earlier this month signed a truce with tribal figures. Afghanistan has protested that the militants are linked to the Taliban. But both Mr. Bush and Gen. Musharraf shrugged off such links and said they were united in pursuing terrorists, especially Osama bin Laden.

``When we find Osama bin Laden, he will be brought to justice. We are on the hunt together,'' Mr. Bush said. Gen. Musharraf echoed him. ``We are in the hunt together against these people,'' he said.

Mr. Bush will have talks on Tuesday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Then, he will have a three-way sitdown with both leaders at the White House on Wednesday. — AP

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