Musharraf rejects UN inquiry on Bhutto

PARIS, Saturday (Reuters/AFP) - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf ruled out a U.N. inquiry into the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, as demanded by her party, saying that Pakistan should not be compared to Lebanon. “It is not possible. Is another country involved?” he said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper published on its website on Friday. “Pakistan is not Lebanon.” Bhutto's party has called for a U.N. inquiry into her death comparable to one into the 2005 killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, whose death was blamed by many Lebanese on Syria. Damascus denies involvement.

Musharraf said Pakistan had its own institutions to manage the inquiry into Bhutto's assassination, and noted they would also be helped by British police. He said there was a campaign by al Qaeda to undermine Pakistan but denied his country was about to fall apart.

“They do not have the capacity to destabilize the country, but their suicide attacks create disorder and dishearten the population. However Pakistan is not on the verge of disintegration.” He also said Pakistan's economy would survive if the United States decided to cut financial aid -- as suggested by some politicians unless Pakistan does more to fight terrorism and restores full civil rights.

“Do you think Pakistan would die if it didn't receive this money? Our economy is doing well,” he said. “Over the last 6 years, we have received a total of around $9 billion. More than half for fighting terrorism ... If the Americans don't want to pay any more, they should ask other people to help them. But the fight against terrorism would suffer,” Musharraf said.

Meanwhile, AFP quoted Musharraf as warning the US-led coalition in Afghanistan that any unauthorised incursion into Pakistan would be treated as an invasion. In an interview with the Straits Times, Musharraf said that US or coalition troops would not be welcome unless invited for a particular reason, such as hunting al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

“Nobody will come here until we ask them to come. And we haven't asked them,” he said in the interview datelined Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Asked if a unilateral intervention would be seen as an invasion, Musharraf replied: “Certainly. If they come without our permission, that's against the sovereignty of Pakistan.”

“But when you're talking about Osama bin Laden, any action against him will be free, if we know where he is, if we have good intelligence,” he added. “The methodology will be discussed together and we'll attack the target together.”