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ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said talks on a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf had stalled but she planned to return to Pakistan very soon even without an agreement.
"No understanding has been arrived at," she said in London about her talks with Musharraf that would see him quit as army chief and stand for President, and Bhutto return to become Prime Minister.
She said talks between her party and Musharraf's envoys "were successful during 80 per cent but appear to have stalled" and the Musharraf delegation has returned to Pakistan for consultations.
Bhutto met colleagues from her popular Pakistan People's Party in London yesterday to decide their next step as Musharraf weighed his options ahead of elections expected between mid-September and mid-October.
Another looming problem for Musharraf, and Bhutto, is the return of exiled former Prime Minister Sharif, the leader Musharraf overthrew in a 1999 coup. He has said he would return on September 10 to challenge Musharraf.
- Reuters
