ISLAMABAD, July 12: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Wednesday expressed its willingness to accept President Pervez Musharraf as the chief of the army staff till Nov 2004 provided the dispute over the Legal Framework Order was resolved.

Speaking to a group of journalists here at his residence, MMA vice-president and parliamentary leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed called for restarting the government-opposition dialogue in line with recommendations of the 11-member committee.

The joint committee had submitted its recommendations to th prime minister on May 23.

Speaking of a consensus that had emerged during the recent MMA-government meetings, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said that both sides had agreed that the LFO was not part of the constitution and that its agreeable points would be presented in the parliament in the shape of a bill.

The issue of divestiture of the president’s army uniform, he said, had also been settled during the meetings, adding that it had been agreed that the president would relinquish his army post in one year give or take a few months, or up to Nov 2004 against Aug 2004, the prior limit set by the MMA.

Expressing the MMA’s willingness to show flexibility on a cut-off date in this regard, he said that issues like Article 58(2)b, the National Security Council, judges’ retirement age, president’s discretionary powers and the Constitution’s sixth schedule had been settled in the composite talks.

Other opposition parties, he said, had hinted at informally accepting Gen Musharraf’s status as president if other issues were addressed and resolved.

Urging the president to accept the parliament’s supremacy, the MMA leader said that it would be in the larger interest of the country if he did not impose himself on the parliament.

Presently, he insisted, the MMA did not accept Gen Musharraf as the constitutional head of the state, adding that he (the president) would have to seek fresh election by the parliament after shedding his army uniform. How the MMA voted, he said, depended largely on his attitude.

Contending that the president would be negating the parliament he had himself helped create if he continued with his inflexible attitude on the LFO, he said that it would mean that he (the president) wished to establish a dictatorship in the name of democracy. Commenting on the Quetta carnage, he termed it a conspiracy to damage relations between Pakistan and Iran.

Stressing the need for backing Iran in the current geo- political situation, he said that the government should not in any way encourage the wrongdoings of the United States.

Commenting on his own pronouncements vis-a-vis the staging of a ‘dharna’ to pressurise the government, Qazi Hussain said that he would do nothing to hurt the opposition’s cause, adding that it would be a last resort method.

The opposition, he said, would not hold talks with a team which included Aftab Sherpao as the PPP had reservations about him, adding that the MMA also considered him an incapable politician.