Patience with Pakistan not 'never-ending' :US

WASHINGTON, The White House on Wednesday warned Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that US patience is not 'never-ending,' and that it expects him to return "soon" to the path of democracy.   

"This is not a never-ending process," said US national security council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.   

"They need to release the people that they've arrested, they need to stop beating people in the streets, they need to restore press freedom and they need to get back on the path to democracy soon -- now."   

Johndroe said that Washington expected Musharraf to make clear "in the next several days" that he was lifting a state of emergency and returning to constitutional order, but refused to set any sort of deadline.   

"As we've said, we're waiting to hear from the Pakistanis, we're waiting to hear from President Musharraf. We're expecting some clarifications about the way ahead. I don't want to put a specific timeframe on it, but soon," he said.   

At the same time, Johndroe brushed aside calls for US President George W. Bush to speak directly to Musharraf, saying "President Musharraf knows exactly where President Bush stands, no doubt about that."   

Bush has relied on US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the US ambassador in Islamabad, Anne Patterson, to take the diplomatic lead -- but the White House denies that this is because he does not want to be seen as being rebuffed by Musharraf.   

Johndroe confirmed that US government officials have been in touch with former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto "and other leaders," and telling them "similar things: that the US is committed to helping Pakistan get back on the right path."   

At the US State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack declined to say whether Bhutto's calls for mass protests would spark further violence, but said "there should be a right for people to express themselves."   

"We've preached the idea to all parties of calm during this particularly turbulent period in Pakistan's political system. I don't think anybody wants to see outbreaks of violence. What we want to see is a peaceful return to constitutional democratic rule," he told reporters.   

"I don't think anybody should look at actions and say that they are going to inevitably lead to violence. People have a choice. People have choice in what they do and have a choice in how they react," McCormack said.   

"Our counsel to all parties has been to maintain that atmosphere of calm ... and focus on those actions" that take Pakistan back to democratic rule the spokesman said.   

Asked about claims that the state of emergency would last only two to three weeks, McCormack replied: "I can't tell you how long it will last."   

"I can only tell you what our view is that President Musharraf needs to roll back these emergency decrees and return to constitutional rule as soon as possible," he said.