No Deal Yet, but Bhutto Vows Return

Pakistan's ex-PM leaves door open for further talks with Musharraf over "restoration of democracy"
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 1, 2007 12:40 PM CDT
No Deal Yet, but Bhutto Vows Return
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gestures as he speaks during a news conference in central London, Thursday Aug. 30, 2007. Sharif said Thursday he would return home from exile on Sept. 10 to challenge President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's plans to extend his rule. Sharif told reporters in London...   (Associated Press)

She hasn’t reached a power-sharing deal yet and still faces corruption charges, but Benazir Bhutto says she’ll announce the date of her return to Pakistan on September 14. Speaking from London, the two-time prime minister said talks with Pervez Musharraf have been “80% successful,” the BBC reports. But the two sides have clashed over elections and parliamentary independence.

If Musharraf and Bhutto fortify their alliance, they’ll face competition from Nawaz Sharif, another exiled prime minister who’s promised to challenge the embattled Musharraf in upcoming elections. Dismissed from her premiership twice because of alleged corruption, Bhutto said Pakistan needs “internal reconciliation” and accused Sharif of bearing a “personal vendetta” against Musharraf. (More Benazir Bhutto stories.)

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