Musharraf plays down attacks in Afghan border region

PARIS, France (AP) -- President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan played down the impact of recent attacks in a region that borders Afghanistan, saying Tuesday they were "pinpricks" that his government must manage.

Musharraf, in Paris as part of an eight-day trip through Europe aimed to rebuild Western support for his embattled government, rejected claims that the violence was a sign of a resurgent Taliban in the South Waziristan region.

"There is no Taliban offensive ... being launched," he said at a conference at the French Institute of International Relations think tank, referring to the extremist Islamic militia that once ran Afghanistan.

"These are pinpricks that they keep doing -- and we have to manage all of that."

His comments came as Islamic militants attacked a fort near the Afghan border Tuesday, sparking fighting with government forces that left five troops and 37 fighters dead, the army said.

The attack, the second this month, occurred in South Waziristan, a lawless tribal region where al-Qaida- and Taliban-linked militants operate.

The militants targeted the Lahda Fort, which houses paramilitary troops, and a nearby observation post in a pre-dawn raid in South Waziristan, located along the border with Afghanistan, the military said in a statement.

Musharraf, a top U.S. ally in its war on terrorism, has come under increasing pressure following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto last month and for his brief declaration of emergency rule last year.

Musharraf was in Paris to meet with French president Nicolas Sarkozy on the second leg of his tour.

A day earlier he met with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, in Brussels. He told reporters he wants more EU involvement in Pakistan.

Musharraf also praised Solana for being "extremely well-informed" about the complicated situation in Pakistan. "It is always a pleasure to come here and meet Mr. Solana ... because we have a total unanimity of views," he said.

Musharraf arrived in Belgium Sunday.

The Pakistani leader heads from France to Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, which starts Wednesday and wraps up Friday. He plans to end his European trip in the United Kingdom.

Pakistanis head to the polls on February 18 to choose a new parliament in a vote that is widely expected to deliver a blow to Musharraf's ruling Pakistan Muslim League party.

A month before its mandate expired, the previous parliament in October approved Musharraf's third five-year presidential term, despite legal challenges from his political opponents. Pakistan is currently being led by a caretaker government.

Musharraf has been accused by Western critics and his political opponents of rolling back democracy in Pakistan in an effort to maintain power. He placed the country under a six-week state of emergency late last year, during which he ousted most of the Supreme Court justices who had been expected to nullify his election victory on constitutional grounds.

Speaking earlier Monday, Musharraf urged the West to be patient with his nation as it tries to establish a democracy.

"You have taken centuries in reaching wherever you have come," Musharraf told an audience gathered at a media event a Brussels hotel.

He said he believes in democracy and human rights, but accused some in the West of "having an obsession" with such values.

"Allow us time for going for the values that you have established for yourself," he said. "We are on the right course but our environment and your environment is very, very different."

Later in the day, Musharraf fielded tough questions from European parliamentarians during a question-and-answer session with the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.

He assured the European lawmakers that next month's elections will take place on time, and will be "free, fair, transparent, and I've added a new word: peaceful."

Several of the Pakistani leader's assertions drew raised eyebrows from lawmakers, including Musharraf's statement that the Pakistani media is the "most independent media maybe of the world."

In rejecting conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on December 27, Musharraf stated that Pakistan has "never, repeat, never had incidents of assassinations of opponents."

A recent poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan showed almost half of Pakistanis believe Musharraf's government had something to do with Bhutto's killing. E-mail to a friend

CNN's Pam Benson and Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report.

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