Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Wednesday that his country was willing to send troops to Iraq, but only under a fresh UN mandate that included forces from other Muslim nations.
Following an address to the UN General Assembly and talks with US President George W. Bush, Musharraf told reporters that Pakistan would wait to see the substance of any new resolution on Iraq adopted by the UN Security Council.
Pakistan is one of several key countries the US has approached to send troops to Iraq but along with others has balked at the contribution unless the UN approves it.
"The domestic environment [in Pakistan] under the current circumstances is totally opposed to sending troops to Iraq," Musharraf said, adding that Pakistan would require a level of "comfort" before committing to any deployment.
"If a new resolution caters for a multinational force and also a number of Muslim countries are there to contribute ... that is the comfort one is desiring in Pakistan," he said.
"At the end of the day, we would like to send Pakistan forces not to be seen as an extension of occupation, but to be seen as a force that has gone there for the welfare of the people of Iraq."
Musharraf also insisted that Bush had applied "no pressure" over the troop-deployment issue during their talks and said the US president "absolutely understands" Pakistan's domestic obligations.
In June, Musharraf said he would be willing to send Pakistani troops to Iraq provided it was under the auspices of the UN, the Organization of the Islamic Conference or the Gulf Cooperation Council.
His position ignited controversy in Pakistan where Islamic political parties reacted with outrage.
Musharraf is one of Washington's closest allies in the global war on terrorism but opposed the US-led war on Iraq.
Pakistan is also one of 10 elected members of the UN Security Council, which will soon take up a US-proposed resolution to give the world body more of a say in Iraq.
In his address to the General Assembly, Musharraf said the Iraqi people needed the full support of the international community, including Iraq's neighbors and the Arab and Islamic countries.
"Iraq cannot be allowed to remain an open wound," he said. "This will impact on the region and could inject a new dimension to the campaign against terrorism and extremism."
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