US, UK welcome ‘first good step’
Foreign Desk Report

WASHINGTON—US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s resignation as army chief was a good first step but that he should now lift emergency rule. “This is a good step, a good first step in president Musharraf carrying out his obligation, indeed his promise to take off his uniform,” Rice told NBC television.
“But the decision now needs to be taken to end the state of emergency to allow free and fair elections to take place,” she said. At the White House, a spokeswoman, Cynthia Bergman, added: “This was an important move taken today by President Musharraf. We continue to encourage the Pakistani government to lift the emergency order and to get back on the path to democracy.”
Musharraf, 64, resigned as army chief on Wednesday, bowing to international pressure to end eight years of military rule a day before he becomes a civilian president. Musharraf, a key US ally in the “war on terror,” will be sworn in for a second five-year term as president on Thursday as he seeks to ease global and domestic outrage over his November 3 imposition of a state of emergency.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Wednesday welcomed Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to stand down as head of his country’s armed forces. Brown said in a statement it was “an important part of the process” towards restoring constitutional order in Pakistan. During a change of command in the garrison town of Rawalpindi near the capital, Islamabad, President Musharraf relinquished his post by handing over his ceremonial baton to his successor General Ashfaq Kayani.
The move came a day before Musharraf is to be sworn in as a civilian president as part of his long-delayed pledge not to hold both jobs. Brown said, “I welcome the decision by President Musharraf to step down formally as chief of Pakistan’s army. “This is an important part of the process that President Musharraf has told me he wants to take to rapidly restore constitutional order. “We understand the threat to Pakistan’s peace and security but I have urged President Musharraf to use the normal democratic processes to respond.
“Meeting last week in Kampala, Commonwealth leaders set out the conditions that must be fulfilled if Pakistan is to be restored to its rightful place in the Commonwealth. “Most importantly, it is essential that preparations are now put in place for free and fair elections to be held in Pakistan with a level playing field for all political parties,” the Prime Minister added.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to step down as the country’s military commander is a “good first step,” but she renewed a call for him to lift a state of emergency. “This is a good step - a good first step in President Musharraf carrying out his obligation, indeed his promise, to take off his uniform,” Rice said in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show. Rice said the U.S. was in talks with Pakistan but declined to go into details.