ISLAMABAD, Sept 5: Former premier Benazir Bhutto said on Wednesday she wanted to meet President Pervez Musharraf face-to-face after making progress in talks on a power-sharing deal between them.

The two-time prime minister added that she would return home from self-exile in London and Dubai in “weeks, not months,” ahead of upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

“There has been progress in some areas and we are working on those areas,” she told AFP in a telephone interview after the stalled negotiations resumed this week, adding that “good” progress had been made.

“I prefer face-to-face negotiations between himself and myself (but) I also appreciate that he has got a country to run and that might be very difficult,” she said when asked if she would meet the military ruler.

Asked when she planned to fly back to Pakistan, which she left eight years ago after serving as premier from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, Ms Bhutto said her return would take place in “weeks, not months”.

Ms Bhutto said one of the key issues in the negotiations — whether Musharraf will quit his role as army chief ahead of his bid to be re-elected as president in September or October was “resolved”.

Her Pakistan People’s Party would regard any attempt by him to keep his military position as a deal-breaker, she said, adding: “As far as we are concerned, we cannot have a president in uniform”.

The main progress in this week’s talks was on the issue of “free and fair elections,” she said, which party sources said included the setting-up of a caretaker government before polls.

There was no immediate reaction from the government on whether Musharraf would be prepared to meet Ms Bhutto to seal the deal.

Meanwhile, Ms Bhutto put forward her credentials as a moderate leader who would be tough on Islamic militancy, a growing problem in Pakistan amid pressure from Washington to crack down on Taliban and Al Qaeda rebels.

She said she would continue Musharraf’s alliance with Washington and his cooperation with US-led and NATO forces in Afghanistan, who have complained that Pakistan is not doing enough to tackle extremism.

Negotiations between the Musharraf and Bhutto camps were given extra urgency last week when another former premier, Nawaz Sharif, said he planned to return to Pakistan from exile on September 10.—AFP