US President George W Bush said Thursday that he expects President Pervez Musharraf to act quickly against top terrorists hiding in Pakistan when he has information leading to their whereabouts, according to dpa. "I have indicated to him that the American people would expect there to be swift action taken if there's actionable intelligence on high-value targets inside his country," Bush said at a White House press conference. Bush refused to weigh in on comments by a Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, who has said he would be willing to send US forces into Pakistan to go after Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda and Taliban figures. Bush, however, has not ruled out the option. Bush said he was confident that Musharraf is committed to the war on terrorism because al-Qaeda poses a threat to his country and has plotted to assassinate the Pakistani leader. "It's also important for Americans to understand that he shares the same concern about radicals and extremists as I do and as the American people do," Bush said. Speculation of a possible US strike in Pakistan has risen since the US intelligence community reported last month that al-Qaeda was regaining strength by seeking refuge in the remote and mountainous tribal region of Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan. Musharraf has flatly rejected any US intervention in Pakistan and maintains that his military is capable of doing the job. Pakistan's government, however, wields little authority over Waziristan region and the military has been fighting militants there since a ceasefire ended last month. The ability of al-Qaeda and the Taliban to hide in Pakistan has been a source of tension between Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The two countries, who share mutual distrust of each other, began talks on Kabul Thursday aimed at finding ways to cooperate to reduce the threat posed by the Taliban and al-Qaeda attended by Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Security in Pakistan has deteriorated since the end of the ceasefire, prompting Musharraf to send Aziz to Kabul in his place. Musharraf on Thursday decided against imposing emergency rule. The Pakistani parliament is to determine whether to re-elect Musharraf in the fall. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with Musharraf by telephone Wednesday night about the ongoing political situation in Pakistan, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. There has been speculation that Musharraf will postpone the election because of the instability. Bush said he expects Musharraf to hold a "a free and fair election."
