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Clinton ends brief visit to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: US President Bill Clinton left Pakistan on Saturday after a six and a half hour visit at the end of a six-day South Asian tour.

Clinton had no statement on his departure for Oman en route to Geneva but made a brief televised address to the Pakistani nation at the end of talks with Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, and other officials.

Clinton lamented the return of military rule after last October's coup and called on Pakistan to open dialogue with India and prioritise economic development over the Kashmir dispute with India.

"For this era does not reward people who struggle in vain to redraw borders with blood, " Clinton said in reference to the 52-year dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan, cause of two of their three wars.

Clinton said there could be "no military solution to Kashmir" as both Pakistan and India reported violence on Saturday on both sides of the military Line of Control (LOC) that divides Kashmir.

He ruled out Pakistani appeals for mediation in the dispute. "We want to be a force for peace but cannot impose it," he said in reference to India's rejection of third-party mediation.-Reuters