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American Morning

President Bush will Meet with Pakistani President

Aired February 13, 2002 - 08:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Later this morning at the White House President Bush will meet with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. The two leaders have much to talk about. Among the many topics sure to be raised, the war in Afghanistan and the long-standing dispute with India over Kashmir.

CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King is there now and has a preview of the meeting. Good morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Jack.

And the reception here at the White House will show how dramatically things have changed in the U.S.-Pakistani relations because of the events of September 11th and what the U.S. government calls overwhelming Pakistani cooperation in the war effort now in Afghanistan and in the region; Pakistan, a Cold War ally of the United States. Relations, though, began to deteriorate when President Musharraf took power in a military coup. However, the Bush administration will welcome him here to the White House, a meeting in the Oval Office, then lunch in the White House residence. All this, part of the relationship that is now improving by the day, U.S. officials say.

President Bush will promise President Musharraf more economic aid, more military to military contacts, including, we are told, the possibility of joint training exercises down the road. And he will discuss the intense situation in Kashmir and the Indian-Pakistani military buildup along their joint borders. Mr. Bush will ask President Musharraf to continue to take steps that India has demanded, cracking down on Islamic fundamentalists blamed for terrorism across the border from Pakistan into India. And ask President Musharraf to try to open a dialogue with the Indian government so that the military tension around the border can be de-escalated some in the weeks and months ahead.

President Musharraf's major goal, we are told, economic assistance. His economy is struggling, he has faced criticism at home for siding with the United States. Mr. Bush, we are told, will promise him the U.S. aid already promised will be forthcoming and that more will be coming in the weeks and months ahead -- Jack.

CAFFERTY: What about the missing "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl, John? Do you suppose that will be talked about at all? Hopes were running high yesterday, when Pakistani police arrested the man the say is the prime suspect in Pearl's disappearance.

KING: Cautious optimism here at the White House. We are told President Musharraf is in touch with investigative agencies back in his country. They believe that arrest was a breakthrough. However, they still have not connected all the dots to get to the actual captors and to the location. All indications from both Pakistani intelligence sources and U.S. law enforcement officials is that they believe Daniel Pearl is still alive. President Bush will raise that issue today. They are hoping for some late developments -- overnight developments from Pakistan, hoping again that they actually, from that arrest, learn the whereabouts of Daniel Pearl.

CAFFERTY: All right. John King, at the White House, thanks for your report this morning. Let's go back to Paula now. We have more on that scathing controversy out at the winter Olympics.

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