ISLAMABAD, Jun 13 (Reuters): - A senior U.S.
official visiting Islamabad this week was expected to offer some support for President Pervez Musharraf, while staying out of a crisis brought on by his attempt to oust Pakistan's top judge.
Having arrived in the Pakistani capital overnight, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher was due to meet Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri on Wednesday, and Musharraf possibly the next day.
officials usually focus on the need to intensify efforts to destroy surviving al Qaeda networks and help quash a Taliban insurgency in neighbouring Afghanistan.
But Boucher's discussions will inevitably also focus on a crisis brewing ahead of elections due in Pakistan this year.
Although Boucher, who handles South Asia, is expected to praise General Musharraf as an ally in the war on terrorism, what he says to the general about the need to promote democracy will probably remain private.
Addressing a news conference in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack set the tone for Boucher's visit, alluding to progress Musharraf has made in political and economic reforms since coming to power in a coup in 1999.
McCormack touched on an issue analysts believe lies at the heart of the political crisis - President Musharraf's dual role as army chief, which he is required to give up by the year end.
Many people doubt Musharraf's intentions.
Analysts suspect the motive for ousting Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was fear the judge would not protect Musharraf from constitutional challenges if he seeks re-election in uniform.
Washington, however, expects Musharraf to keep his promise.
"I know that he has pledged to make the choice and to - if he continues in political life - to put aside the uniform.
And we take him at his word at that, and we would expect him to follow through on his commitments," McCormack said.
officials have expressed Washington's hope Musharraf's confrontation with Chaudhry will be settled smoothly through a judicial process.
They have also denied Washington was trying to help Musharraf seal a power-sharing deal with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who has vowed to return from self-exile.
Officials have also reiterated that the United States expected the coming elections to be free and fair, after widespread allegations polls five years ago were rigged.
This week, New York Times and International Herald Tribune editorials argued Washington should distance itself from Musharraf, and put more faith in democratic forces if Pakistan is to become a stable democracy, less susceptible to extremism.
World community offers support to disaster-hit Bangladesh DHAKA, Jun 13 (Agencies): International community on Wednesday expressed deep shock at the tragic deaths of over 120 people in the rain-triggered mudslide in eastern Bangladesh and extended support to help the victims of the disaster, officials said.
The death toll from the Monday's mudslide due to ceaseless downpour for two days rose to 121 after more 11 bodies were recovered on Wednesday, according latest information provided by the control room opened to provide update on the disaster.
The rescuers comprising members from the armed forces, fire fighting authorities and local people were still continuing their efforts to dig out more bodies buried beside the hills in the port city of Chittagong.
Experts said that unabated hill cutting coupled with unplanned housing projects caused the disaster.
Bangladesh's chief adviser to the interim government Fakhruddin Ahmed, who visited the scene on Tuesday, ordered tougher actions against those responsible for hill cutting.
Meanwhile, the United Nations offered support to Bangladesh to regain from the disaster, said an official handout of the UN.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed his deep grief at the loss of more than 100 lives and the injuries sustained by over 100 others and the destruction caused by landslide and flooding impacting the Bangladesh's second largest city.
Ban extends his deepest condolence to the families of those who have been killed or injured in the disaster," the statement also releases in Dhaka said.
"The UN stands ready to assist as required," added the statement.
The United States Embassy in Dhaka expressed condolences to the friends and families of the victims Chittagong disaster.
The embassy asked the USAID and CARE, to respond immediately to support the victims, said a press statement.
Initially the CARE was asked to provide 43,000 dollars worth of relief supplies, including food, water, and temporary shelter to approximately 2,500 families who have been displaced by the disaster.
In a similar note, the British foreign and commonwealth office minister Geoff Hoon expressed deep condolence to the families and loved ones of more than 100 people killed by landslides in Bangladesh.
"I was deeply saddened to hear of the scale of loss of life and injury following Monday's devastating landslides in Chittagong," he said.
The Japanese ambassador in Dhaka, Masayuki Inoue, expressed his profound shock at the loss of lives and property in the landslides.
The ambassador also hoped that the bereaved families would soon be reconciled with their tragic losses owing to the calamity.