Diplomacy A Rosy Reception for Bhutto

By Kumiko Makihara

George Bush gave Pakistan's Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto a sweet-smelling gift at the end of her first official trip to Washington last week: an American beauty rosebush. Accepting the memento, Bhutto told the President that the roses would serve as a reminder of her "supportive visit" to Washington. She might have added that, while the atmosphere surrounding her meetings with U.S. officials was cordial, both sides went to considerable effort to avoid the thornier aspects of their relationship.

Bhutto, 35, captivated U.S. audiences with her blend of modern and traditional values. "My presence before you is a testament to the force of freedom and democracy in Pakistan," she told a joint session of Congress. She was frequently interrupted by applause as she described the desire of the Pakistani people for democracy. "Everywhere," she declared, "the sun is setting on the day of the dictator."

Bhutto is an example of that trend. Although she had a privileged childhood, she spent much of a decade in prison and exile. She suffered through the overthrow, imprisonment and execution of her father Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto at the hands of General Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, who ruled Pakistan from 1977 until his death in an airplane crash last year. Three months later, Bhutto became Prime Minister after waging a fiery political campaign that led hundreds of thousands of her supporters into the streets.

Bhutto was in Washington to seek continued military and economic aid for her country and to discuss a political settlement for the struggle in neighboring Afghanistan. In an interview with TIME, the Prime Minister said she believes that Afghanistan should have a neutral government "which reflects the aspirations of the people of Afghanistan and which is neither hostile to the Soviet Union nor hostile to us." With support from the U.S., Pakistan has been the main arms distributor to the Afghan mujahedin rebels ever since Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The Soviets withdrew their forces early this year, but contrary to predictions, the mujahedin have not been able to topple the Soviet-supported regime of President Najibullah in Kabul.

In Washington, Bhutto urged the U.S. Congress to take up "the challenge of achieving a broad-based political settlement to the war." The U.S. has opposed negotiation, on the premise that the Najibullah regime will inevitably fall, but Bush told Bhutto that he would "encourage" a political settlement.

In a strong sign of support for its longtime ally, the Bush Administration promised to supply Pakistan with 60 more F-16 fighter-bombers, a $1.4 billion purchase that will strengthen Islamabad's current F-16 fleet of 38 planes. In addition, Bhutto received an overall U.S. endorsement of her goals. Speaking at Harvard, she reflected, "It was important to see that democracy was rewarded, particularly in levels of assistance. If the assistance tapered off, it would send a message, whether it was meant to be sent or not, that democracy doesn't pay."

With reporting by Ricardo Chavira and Anita Pratap/Washington