WASHINGTON, July 8: US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte has urged the government as well as the militants holed up in Lal Masjid to “behave in a very responsible” manner.In an interview with the official Voice of America radio, Mr Negroponte denied media reports that he was trying to arrange a deal between the Musharraf government and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Mr Negroponte, the number two official at the US State Department, said the Lal Masjid episode and the reported failed attempt on President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s plane reflected the dangers facing Pakistan and he assured Islamabad that Washington was willing to support it “in any way we can”.

He rejected a suggestion that he had discussed the activities of the Lal Masjid clerics with the Pakistani officials when he visited Islamabad last month.

“We did not have the opportunity to discuss the situation of the mosque, although I know that is a situation that has been ongoing for quite some time now,” he said.

“I certainly hope that the situation with respect to the Red Mosque is resolved peacefully, and that everybody concerned behaves in a very responsible way,” he added.

Mr Negroponte noted that Pakistan was passing through an important phase, both because of the war on terror and also because of the political evolution of the country.

“So it’s important that that situation be resolved calmly and peacefully.”

He said that if the reports about an attempt on Gen Musharraf’s plane were true, “they’re certainly a reflection of the situation there, that there are dangers of this kind. I’m certainly gratified that the president is unharmed, and we await further information about the incident”.