Armitage denies threatening Pakistan after 9/11

WASHINGTON - Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage denied on Friday that he told a Pakistani official the U.S. would bomb Pakistan "back to the Stone Age" if it did not cooperate with Washington in the war on terror following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Armitage, in an interview with NBC News, said his remarks during the conversation were misrepresented. “I wouldn’t threaten the use of military force if I couldn’t come through with it,” he said.

Earlier Friday, with Musharraf standing at his side at the White House, President Bush said he was surprised by Musharraf's claim.

“The first I heard of it was when I read about it in the newspaper today,” Bush said. “I guess I was taken aback by the harshness of the words.”

“I don’t know of any (such) conversation,” he added.

Musharraf said he could not comment because of a contract for a book to be published on Monday.

'Be prepared to be bombed'
Within days of the Sept. 11 attacks, Armitage met with Pakistan’s intelligence director, Gen. Mahmoud Ahmad, seeking cooperation.

Musharraf, in an interview with CBS News’ magazine show “60 Minutes,” to air on Sunday, said Armitage told Ahmad that without cooperation: “Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age."

Armitage told NBC the conversation was a “strong, factual” exchange, but said he made no military threats. He said he told Ahmad “Pakistan would need to be with us or against us. For Americans, this was seen as black or white.”

What did Armitage say?
The Pakistani leader said in the interview with CBS, which distributed the Pakistani leader's comments, that he felt insulted.

“I think it was a very rude remark,” he told reporter Steve Kroft. But Musharraf said he reacted responsibly. “One has to think and take actions in the interests of the nation and that is what I did,” he said.

White House spokesperson Tony Snow said Friday that he did not know what Musharraf had been told by his intelligence chief after the talk with Armitage, but “U.S. policy was not to issue bombing threats. U.S. policy was to say to President Musharraf: ’We need you to make a choice.’”

“I don’t know,” Snow said. “This could have been a classic failure to communicate. I just don’t know.”

MORE FROM SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA

South & Central Asia Section Front

Obama meets troops, Afghan officials U.S.: Al-Qaida may be easing off Iraq Bomb blast in Kashmir kills 10 soldiers Two French aid workers kidnapped Al-Qaida's new recruits in Afghanistan GIs get more bomb protection in Afghanistan U.S. military wants answers on Afghan attack Newsweek: Afghanistan's growing refugee crisis South & Central Asia Section Front   Add South & Central Asia headlines to your news reader: