Bhutto Plans Return (to Pakistan), With or Without Deal

Source: Washington Post

Bhutto Plans Return, With or Without Deal
Former Premier of Pakistan Says Negotiations With Musharraf Are at Standstill

By Griff Witte
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, September 2, 2007; Page A14

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 1 -- Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said Saturday that negotiations on a power-sharing agreement with Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, were at a standstill but that she would return from exile regardless of whether the two strike a deal.

Bhutto, who just three days ago had indicated that the agreement was nearly complete, sounded pessimistic about the future of the talks as she spoke to reporters in London. While refraining from much direct criticism of Musharraf, she spoke out harshly against the president's political backers, blaming them for allowing extremism to fester in Pakistan and saying they have deliberately scuttled the deal in order to keep moderates like herself out of power.

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The apparent collapse of the negotiations added even more uncertainty to what is expected to be an incredibly volatile period for Pakistan in the coming months. Musharraf, who must stand for reelection between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, was once considered a lock for another five-year term. But his fortunes have soured since March, following a botched attempt to fire the chief justice. With his popularity sinking, Musharraf had turned to Bhutto for a possible power-sharing deal that would have allowed her the chance to win back her old job in exchange for her help in giving him a smooth ride to another term.

But Musharraf's supporters said the government had decided that Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party did not offer enough to justify the price.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/01/AR2007090100564.html?hpid=topnews

I've said before that "sharing" isn't in her vocabulary.