WASHINGTON, June 23: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has underlined the Bush administration’s dilemma in dealing with President Pervez Musharraf: continue to support him as a key ally now in trouble or abandon him as someone who cannot be rescued.

In a lengthy interview to CNN, Ms Rice indicated that President Musharraf quit the army on Washington’s advice but stops short of admitting that in doing so he clipped his own wings.

Instead, Ms Rice blamed Mr Musharraf for the troubles he faces now, telling the interviewer that she told the former general “he made a number of mistakes,” which led him to where he finds himself now.

Aware that both Mr Musharraf’s friends and allies may interpret her statement as indicating that Washington is distancing itself from the besieged president, Ms Rice also said: “President Musharraf has been a good ally. He did a lot for Pakistan in bringing it into civilian rule. And he’s somebody that we will continue to treat with respect.”

Mr Musharraf’s future came up for discussion when the interviewer — Farid Zakaria of Newsweek — said that the United States has studiously avoided calling for the restoration of deposed judges in Pakistan.

Ms Rice repeated the US stance on this issue: “It’s best that (the judicial dispute) be worked out between Pakistanis.”

Reminded that the US silence on this issue is seen in Pakistan as supporting Mr Musharraf because if the judiciary is restored it may nullify the extra-constitutional measures he took on Nov. 3.

“Well, I don’t know how this would turn out if the judiciary were to come back into being, because one doesn’t know under what circumstances or how they would do it,” said Ms Rice.

“We have worked with President Musharraf. President Musharraf did a great thing for his country, he took off the uniform, and he brought them back to civilian rule. He really did set them on a course that was not an extremist course.”

But he put the chief justice under house arrest and he suspended half the judiciary, the interviewer reminded her.

“I have said — and I said to him that he made a number of mistakes. And I thought that the state of emergency was a mistake,” said Ms Rice.

Do you think he should resign now and give Pakistan a new start, she was asked.

“This is clearly a Pakistani matter. He’s the President of Pakistan and we’ll treat him as the President of Pakistan,” Ms Rice said.

But she quickly balanced her stance, indicating that Washington would accept any change brought about by the political forces in Pakistan. “Pakistan is in a period now of bringing its new democratic institutions into being. They will work through these matters,” she said.

The US secretary of state indulged in yet another balancing act while talking about current tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“I think it’s probably not wise to talk about Afghan cross-border operations,” said Ms Rice, referring to Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s recent threat to send troops into Pakistan to fight insurgents.