26 September 2004	Sunday	10 Shaban 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

WASHINGTON, Sept 25: President Pervez Musharraf said on Friday the US-led invasion of Iraq had made the world a more dangerous place and complicated the war on terror.

Gen Musharraf in the United States to attend the UN General Assembly, was asked in an interview on CNN if he thought the war in Iraq was a mistake.

"It has ended up bringing more trouble to the world," said the Pakistani leader.

"(The world) is more dangerous ... because (the Iraq war) has aroused the passions of the Muslims more," he said, describing the US-led coalition as "bogged down" in Iraq.

"(The war in Iraq) has complicated the war on terror ... it has made the job more difficult," said Gen Musharraf.

In a separate interview with NBC, he said the issue was greater than the removal of Saddam Hussein and that the United States had to do more to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The deeper issue is ... all political disputes involving Muslims, where Muslims are being seen on television, daily, being killed. Palestinians, we see every day what is happening there.

"All these are images which have created an antipathy against the United States in the Islamic world," said the president, who had talks with President George W. Bush on Wednesday.

President Musharraf said that even if the United States succeeded in Iraq, the region's problems would not be resolved until the Israeli-Palestinian issue was dealt with.

"We are fighting terrorism in its immediate context. That's not very far-sighted," Gen Musharraf said.-Reuters