Musharraf, Bhutto reportedly discuss power-sharing deal

ISLAMABAD,Pakistan-Pakistan's embattled president sat down with a major exiled opposition leader in Abu Dhabi,an encounter designed to shore up his power,sources tell CNN.President Pervez Musharraf huddled with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi on Friday evening, according to a senior government official and a senior associate of Bhutto's powerful Pakistan People's Party.It was the first meeting between two political rivals since Musharraf took power in a bloodless coup in 1999,even though representatives of both camps have been speaking for months.Musharraf and Bhutto talked about a power-sharing deal,The Associated Press reported citing local media,but the meeting apparently hit a snag when Bhutto pressed Musharraf to leave the military."Our stand is that,and I stick to my stand,that we do not accept President Musharraf in uniform,"Bhutto said Saturday,according to The Associated Press.Musharraf is not only the president,but is also the chief of the army-a position he has refused to give up.At least one analyst says that may change as Musharraf's five-year-term as president comes to an end.New parliamentary elections are expected at the end of the year.
"Musharraf would have to cede some power,probably by resigning his powerful post as head of the army,but could remain president while Bhutto becomes prime minister.He could then afford to hold free elections,since an alliance with Bhutto would give him real support in parliament," according to Peter Beinart,a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.Analysts say that Musharraf is contacting opposition leaders to buttress support for his power because he has been getting weaker politically.The stakes are high for Musharraf and the United States,which is relying on its ally to promote a moderate agenda and fight radical Islamism.Beinart wrote in the latest edition of Time magazine that if Musharraf "rigs or cancels" uch elections,"Pakistan could explode,and he'll have to use brute force to hang on.That could further strengthen the Islamists, who feed on chaos,or prompt another coup,which could put a more anti-American general in charge."
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