WASHINGTON, Oct 31: President Pervez Musharraf may visit the United States in February, his third since June this year, diplomatic sources told Dawn on Friday.

The invitation for the visit came personally from President George Bush when the two leaders met in New York in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Those present in the meeting say that Mr Bush asked President Musharraf to visit him before he gets busy with his election campaign. Mr Musharraf accepted the invitation.

Dates and the itinerary are still being worked out, the sources said.

It is still not clear what the two leaders would discuss in their third meeting in less than a year but reports in the US media have suggested that it could be Iraq.

According to these reports, the Bush administration wants Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to send their troops to Iraq soon.

Reports in the US media say that President Musharraf and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz also reviewed the US request when they met in Islamabad on Oct 20.

Diplomatic sources in Washington say that the Americans have asked Pakistan to send at least 15,000 troops to join an international peacekeeping force they are raising for Iraq.

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is expected to make only a token contribution but the Americans believe that Saudi participation in such a force would encourage other Muslim states to join as well.

Reports in the US media also say that pro-Western and moderate governments in the Islamic world are as concerned about the consequences of a prolonged guerilla war in Iraq as the Americans.

They fear that if the US presence in Iraq leads to a Vietnam like situation, where US forces were forced to withdraw after a long and bloody guerrilla war, it will have a destabilizing impact on the entire region.

That’s why, the reports say, moderate Muslim governments are willing to join US efforts to prevent deterioration in Iraq. But to join a US-led force in Iraq America’s Muslim allies, including Pakistan, want a UN endorsement for the proposed force and an invitation from a representative government in Baghdad.