Bush says Pakistan's Musharraf an ally

By Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Thursday called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf an ally of the United States in fighting terrorism and said he should work with the winner of elections scheduled next month.

Pakistan postponed the general election to February 18 from January 8 after opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated last week.

"I think that whoever wins the election is somebody with whom President Musharraf should work, and of course we will be a strong ally of Pakistan," Bush said in a Reuters interview at the White House.

"I've always been a supporter of President Musharraf," he said, adding this was because the Pakistani leader has been strong in fighting terrorism and held to his pledge to step down from his military post and hold elections.

"He's an ally," Bush said.

Bhutto's assassination threw Pakistan into turmoil, raising questions about who was behind the gun and suicide bomb attack in Rawalpindi.

Musharraf has said an al Qaeda-linked militant was behind the attack and rejected any suggestion that Pakistani security agencies were involved.

Bush said the attack had "all the hallmarks" of how al Qaeda operates, but withheld judgment until the facts were determined.

"It's in the interest of the world to help Pakistan recover from this terrible incident and have a strong democracy, that's exactly what the position of the U.S. government is," Bush said.

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Patricia Wilson)