U.S. has few options on Pakistan

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The White House has few options following President Pervez Musharraf's seizure of emergency power in Pakistan, a report says.

The New York Times said Saturday the Bush administration was stuck in a "wait-and-see mode" with little room to maneuver -- an embarrassing situation for President George W. Bush, who has called for the spread of democracy in the region.

Pakistan under Musharraf became a central part of the U.S. war against terror following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States, though there has been some friction over Pakistani inaction against al-Qaida leaders believed to be hiding in the mountains across the Afghan frontier -- including Osama bin Laden.

Washington has given Pakistan about $10 billion in mostly military aid since 2001, but Adm. William J. Fallon, senior U.S. military commander in the Middle East, told Musharraf Friday he would put continuing aid at risk if he seized emergency authority, the Times said. Musharraf ignored that warning, barely waiting until Fallon had left Islamabad to make his power grab.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in the Middle East for a series of meetings, called the action in Pakistan "regrettable" and her spokesman said the United States was "deeply disturbed," the Times reported.