Bush to warn Pakistan on counterterrorism

UNITED STATES: President George W. Bush has decided to send an unusually tough message to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf warning that the new Democratic-led Congress could cut aid to his country unless it does more to crack down on al Qaeda operatives, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The decision came after the White House concluded that Musharraf, a key ally in Washington's "War on Terror," was not living up to commitment he made to Bush in September to combat militant groups, the newspaper said, citing senior administration officials.

Pakistan says it is doing all it can to stop militants infiltrating Afghanistan, but the U.S. military says cross-border attacks around the Afghan frontier increased sharply last year.

U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that the terrorist infrastructure was being rebuilt, and that while Pakistan has attacked some camps, its overall effort has flagged, The New York Times reported.

"He's made a number of assurances over the past few months, but the bottom line is that what they are doing now is not working," one senior administration official told the newspaper. "The message we're sending to him now is that the only thing that matters is results."

"We think the Pakistani aid is at risk in Congress," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

Washington, Monday, Reuters