Musharraf: Iraq war makes world more dangerous
www.chinaview.cn 2006-09-27 16:14:47

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Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's memoir "In The Line of Fire" is displayed at a Washington bookstore on 25 September 2006. Musharraf's new memoirs appear headed for the best-seller list in rival India where opinion-makers have charged that the book rewrites history.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's memoir "In The Line of Fire" is displayed at a Washington bookstore on Sept. 25, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)
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    BEIJING, Sept. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The Iraq war has made the world more dangerous, said Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in a CNN interview. Musharraf wrote "In the Line of Fire," published on Monday in New York.

    Musharraf writes in the book that he never supported the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

    "I stand by it, absolutely," Musharraf said in the program "The Situation Room." Asked whether he disagreed with Bush, he said, "I've stated whatever I had to ... it (the war) has made the world a more dangerous place."

    He also disclosed that former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told a Pakistani official that the United States would bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age" if it did not cooperate with Washington after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

    However, Armitage has denied he made the threat, saying he just gave Pakistan a tough message, telling the Muslim nation it was either "with us or against us." Meanwhile, Musharraf stressed he was told of the threat by the Pakistani intelligence director.

    "I have written whatever I heard," Musharraf said. 

    But Musharraf said he agreed to cooperate in the war on terror in the interests of Pakistan whether or not the threat was made.

    "The first thing that came to my mind was Pakistan, Pakistani interest, Pakistan security."

    Meanwhile, Musharraf's book has drawn a wide range of disputes in Pakistan. Opposition party Pakistan Muslim League Parliamentary leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali accused Musharraf of disclosing important national secrets.

    In the memoir, Pakistan's leader offers a candid account of his life and political career, offering revealing details about his rise to power, the perils he has faced, the hunt for bin Laden and other al-Qaida terrorists, the struggle with India, and other key issues.

    The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has paid Pakistan millions of U.S. dollars for catching al-Qaida fighters during the five years since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in 2001. Enditem

    (Agencies)

Editor: Lin Li
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