WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, whose own survival was linked to George W. Bush's re-election, would like a meeting with the U.S. president during a stopover in Washington next month.
Diplomatic sources in Washington told United Press International that Bush is interested in a meeting with the Pakistani leader as well but it has not yet been finalized.
"It is not yet a done deal, but it's very likely," a senior diplomatic source said.
Musharraf leaves home on Nov. 25 on a five-nation tour that will take him to Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, France and Britain. He is likely to make a technical stopover in Washington for refueling of his aircraft.
Officials in Islamabad, when contacted by United Press International for confirmation, said it will be a "purely personal meeting" with no agenda. "President Musharraf wants to personally congratulate President Bush on his re-election. That's it," said a senior Pakistani official.
Pakistani officials said it was not yet decided whether the stopover will be in Washington or New York and as it depends on Bush's schedule.
Musharraf, who joined the U.S.-led "coalition against terror" after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, is considered a close Bush ally. Last week at a briefing, Bush referred to the Pakistani leader as his "good friend."
The Pakistani president last visited the United States in September to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York. On the sidelines of the U.N. session, he also met Bush.
After the meeting, Musharraf told his close aides that Bush appeared very confident and predicted that the U.S. president would be re-elected. He said Bush had told him that he looked forward to working with him for the next four years.
Later, he told a U.S. television channel that while he had no favorites in the U.S. election, he felt more comfortable with Bush because he knew him well and had had several meetings with him.
At the meeting in New York, the two leaders reaffirmed their desire to continue the fight against Islamists while Bush also expressed concerns about Musharraf's personal safety.
There have been at least half a dozen attempts on Musharraf since he joined the U.S.-led coalition against terror.
Twice, during the 10 days before last Christmas, Musharraf narrowly survived highly professional assassination attempts. First, the bridge he was traveling over near Islamabad was destroyed by five separate charges only seconds after his car made it to the other side. Later, Western security experts said an electronic blocking device in his limo bought him the fraction of time that saved his life.
A few days later, 14 people were killed and nearly 50 injured when al-Qaida's suicide bombers tried to ram an explosive-filled car into Musharraf's vehicle. Musharraf, again, escaped by seconds.
The attempts caused serious concerns in Washington and other Western capitals where it was felt that it would not only be a huge victory for al-Qaida but would also rock the "war on terror" to its core, if extremists were successful.
Diplomatic sources in Washington say that last December's attacks touched Bush who felt that Musharraf was being punished for supporting the United States.
Before Sept. 11, Pakistan, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had supported the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Hours after the attacks on New York and Washington, Bush asked his senior aides to contact Musharraf and urged him to join the U.S. camp if he did not want to be on the wrong side of the world's sole superpower.
But even U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who telephoned Musharraf, was surprised when the Pakistani leader immediately agreed to dump Pakistan's Taliban allies and join the U.S. camp.
Later, Musharraf's close aides told reporters the general was never comfortable with the Taliban and was looking for an opportunity to change sides but was never asked by the Americans to do so.
In Pakistan, Musharraf is considered a Westernized liberal who drinks alcohol and does not strictly follow Islamic injunctions. Many Pakistanis argue that Musharraf is a natural U.S. ally.
The Taliban and al-Qaida, however, see his close links to the West as a betrayal of Pakistan's Islamic identity and resent his attempts to open up the Pakistani society.
During the last four years, Musharraf also developed close personal relations with the outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is scheduled to pay a farewell visit to the Pakistani leader while visiting the region to attend the inauguration of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Dec. 7.
Diplomatic sources in Washington say that the expected meeting with Bush will reassure Musharraf that there will no change in U.S. policy towards Pakistan despite Powell's departure.
Opposition parties in Pakistan are interpreting the departure of two senior State Department officials -- Powell and his deputy Richard Armitage -- who knew Musharraf well as a bad omen for the Pakistani leader.
