Bush meets Musharraf for talks on war on terror

1. US President President George Bush and Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf sitting side by side talking to reporters UPSOUND (English) President Bush "It's my honour to welcome a friend... a leader"
2. Reporters listening
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Bush, US President
"The President and I are absolutely committed to fighting off the terrorists who would destroy lives in Pakistan, or the United States or anywhere else. I appreciate very much your clear vision of the need for people of goodwill and hope to prevail over those who are willing to inflict death in order to achieve an ideology that is....the predominance of an ideology that is backward and dark in its view.
4. Reporters listening
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Bush, US President
"The President has been a determined leader to bring to justice not only people like Osama bin Laden, but to bring to justice those who would inflict harm and pain on his own people. Remember this is a man who's life had been threatened by...and still is threatened by al-Qaida leadership. He's the person who has survived two direct assassination attempts and there is nobody more dedicated to the protection of his own people than President Musharraf and I'm very pleased with his efforts and his focus."
6. Musharraf listening to Bush, pull out to wide of the two of them
7. Reporters listening
8. Wide of Bush and Musharraf sitting side by side
9. Musharraf speaking to reporters outside
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan President
"We discussed terrorism within its entire complexity and within that hunting every terrorist was discussed of course. The operations against terrorists in Pakistan, on our borders, was discussed.
11. Reporters listening

STORYLINE:

US President George W. Bush offered no criticism on Saturday of Pakistan's role in the still-unsuccessful hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, even though Pakistan's army is pulling back from the region where the terrorist mastermind is believed to be hiding.

After an Oval Office meeting with General Pervez Musharraf, Bush reminded reporters that Pakistan's president was himself under threat from al-Qaida.

"The President has been a determined leader to bring to justice not only people like Osama bin Laden, but to bring to justice those who would inflict harm and pain on his own people", he said.

Pakistan's army said last month it was withdrawing hundreds of troops from the tense tribal region near Afghanistan.

The decision to pull back from the South Waziristan area come after several military operations by thousands of troops against remnants of bin Laden's al-Qaida organisation and its supporters in recent months.

The architect of the September 11 attacks against the United States, bin Laden has been on the run since U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 and drove out the Taliban rulers who harboured al-Qaida militants.

Between 7,000 and 8,000 Pakistani forces were deployed in a three-pronged offensive in the eastern reaches of the rugged region last month.

U.S. military forces remain largely on the Afghanistan side in hopes of capturing or killing any al-Qaida operatives crossing the border.

Neither Bush nor Musharraf publicly mentioned Washington's concerns over Musharraf's backtracking on a pledge to relinquish his military post.

The general, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, had pledged in December 2003 to relinquish his army position as part of a commitment to civilian rule.

His government pushed through a law this year, however, to allow him to keep the separate role.

That caused some quiet unease that Pakistan was not progressing toward democracy as had been hoped.
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