NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The United States' determination to establish democracies like its own worldwide is "not very productive," Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told ABC News.
An a New York interview, Musharraf said he had "very different views on democracy" from those of the United States.
"There are no set rules for democracy, first of all," he said. "Democracy is to be tailored to individual country's requirements, in accordance with the environment in that country.
"Democracy as understood in the West is, I think, not very productive at all."
Musharraf said his personal vision of democracy was to first address political disputes, and work at eliminating poverty and illiteracy.
Along that line, he said under the western model of democracy, the terror suspects being held at the Guantanamo military prison in Cuba by the United States should already have been tried or returned to their native countries for trial. Musharraf said the allegations of abuse at Guantanamo turned international sentiment "totally negative against the United States."
