Pakistani president says bin Laden still alive

Visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in Buenos Aires Friday that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden "is alive."

This is based on the confessions of several al-Qaida members captured and interrogated in Pakistan, Musharraf told the press.

However, Musharraf said he did not know the whereabouts of bin Laden. "Of course, we don't know where he is, in spite of versions from the US and British intelligence services claiming that he had been in my country."

Talking about the relations between Pakistan and India, Musharraf said he has been trying to improve them, and that's why his government started an rapprochement between Islamabad and New Delhi.

"We seek a peaceful co-existence through confidence and dispute resolution," he added.

Musharraf arrived here on Dec. 1 after visiting Brazil. He will also visit Mexico before going to Washington, London and Paris.

Source: Xinhua