Pakistani President Musharraf Rules Out UN Probe into Bhutto Murder

12 January 2008 -- Pakistan's President Prevez Musharraf has ruled out a U.N. inquiry into the assassination of opposition leader and former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto.

Ms. Bhutto's party has been calling for a U.N. investigation, comparing her death to the 2005 killing of former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. Many Lebanese blame Syria for that killing.

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Mr. Musharraf told a French newspaper Le Figaro that a U.N. probe will not be appropriate since no other country is implicated in the murder of Ms. Bhutto. He said Pakistani institutions will manage the inquiry and that British police are helping Pakistani investigators.

Mr. Musharraf acknowledged that suicide attacks by al-Qaida-linked extremists are creating disorder but he said the extremists do not have the capacity to destabilize Pakistan.

Friday, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen expressed concern about the presence of al-Qaida safe havens in Pakistan, saying the militants are launching attacks in neighboring Afghanistan - but, also - inside Pakistan.

Admiral Mullen said the U.S. is mindful that Pakistan is a sovereign nation and that it is up to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his military advisors to confront the problem directly.

President Musharraf has warned the U.S. against any unilateral move into Pakistan's tribal region to hunt down al-Qaida or Taliban militants. He told a Singapore newspaper, The Strait Times, Friday that such move would be considered a breach of sovereignty.

Source: VOA News