The United States on Saturday delivered a 'strong message' to embattled Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf [Images] to end emergency and doff uniform as senior American envoy John Negroponte held talks with the General and the man tipped to succeed him as the army chief.

Amidst stepped up US efforts to persuade the military ruler to restore democracy, Negroponte, US Deputy Secretary of State who is the highest-ranking American official to visit Pakistan since imposition of emergency on November 3, met the military ruler and Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kiyani, who is to replace Musharraf as Army Chief once he doffs uniform.

Negroponte, who spoke on phone with former premier Benazir Bhutto [Images] shortly after his arrival in Islamabad on Friday, discussed the 'political situation' with Musharraf, state-run PTV reported.

'The US Deputy Secretary of State and President Pervez Musharraf discussed important bilateral, regional and international affairs,' PTV reported, without giving details.

However, western diplomatic sources said the top US diplomat delivered a 'strong message' to Musharraf to end emergency he had imposed on November 3, quit as army chief and restore the Constitution and key fundamental rights like the freedom of the press.

They said Negroponte highlighted US concerns about the political crisis in Pakistan and called for the release of all opposition political and rights activists arrested under emergency regulations to facilitate free and impartial general elections in January.

Before meeting the President, Negroponte held talks with Kiyani.

Negroponte was also scheduled to meet Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammed Khan though official sources said no meetings have been arranged with members of the caretaker set-up sworn in by Musharraf on Friday to guide Pakistan through the parliamentary polls.

The senior US envoy held talks Friday night with Tariq Aziz, the Secretary of the National Security Council and a close aide of Musharraf who was earlier involved in secret parleys with Bhutto. He also met a Western ambassador and US diplomats to assess the situation in Pakistan.

US President George W Bush [Images] has been spearheading global efforts to convince Musharraf to quit as Army Chief, lift emergency, reinstate the sacked Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry and hold fair and transparent elections.
 
During the phone conversation with Bhutto, Negroponte stressed 'the importance of moderate forces working together in Pakistan for a better future for Pakistan and also to get Pakistan back on the pathway to Constitutional and democratic rule,' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Asked if the US was trying to 'resurrect' the power-sharing talks between Bhutto and Musharraf, McCormack said in Washington: "Well, what I would say is that that will be up to the two parties involved, President Musharraf and former Prime Minister Bhutto whether or not they come to some political accommodation.

"Now, we know that prior to the imposition of the state of emergency they had come to some tentative agreement about how to move forward with a political deal that could have resulted in her becoming prime minister and President Musharraf remaining as President."

McCormack said the US has been 'very upfront and very clear that we have encouraged moderate forces within the Pakistani political system, which would include Bhutto, to work together for the kind of Pakistan that President Musharraf had envisioned for Pakistan prior to the state of emergency, and in fact, had done a lot to try to achieve.'

The spokesman was asked whether the decision of Negroponte to speak to Bhutto was a signal to Musharraf of the importance that the US attaches to allowing opposition politicians to speak and have outside contacts.

"I am not sure if it had entered into the deputy's (Negroponte) calculation. I think it does send a very clear message that we intend to talk to and continue our contacts with members of Pakistanis' political leadership and political civil society. We think it is vitally important that there be a free exchange of information, that those channels of communication remain open and, more importantly, that they have open, free channels of communication with one another."
 
"I would expect the deputy secretary reiterated all the points that you've heard from us in public regarding lifting the state of emergency, getting Pakistan back on the right course, setting a specific date for those elections, making sure the run-up to those elections is prepared such that people have access to independent media; and that President Musharraf take off the uniform," he said, when asked about Negroponte's talks with Pakistan's National Security Adviser.

McCormack also addressed criticism in Pakistan of the US meddling in the internal affairs of the country.

"We have tried very hard to stay out of Pakistani domestic politics. But I can assure you that our firm view that whatever decisions Pakistan makes regarding its future, whatever decisions Pakistan's leaders make regarding Pakistan's future course, those are going to be for the Pakistani people to make and the Pakistani people alone."