Top US envoys drop in as new Pakistan PM sworn-in

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf administered the oath of office Tuesday to Yusuf Raza Gillani, the country's new prime minister who leads a coalition government opposed to him.

Top coalition leaders were absent from the brief ceremony, which journalists have interpreted as a snub to Musharraf.

Gillani leads the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, which won the most votes in elections in February.

The other partner in the coalition is Pakistan Muslim league-N led by Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister who was ousted by Musharraf in a presidential coup in 1999, jailed for corruption and then exiled. He was allowed to return home for the election but was banned from running for office since he had served two terms as prime minister.

As Gillani took office two top U.S. officials arrived for talks in Pakistan - Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher. They held talks with Sharif and are also expected to meet Musharraf and Gillani.

Washington has said it is looking forward to continuing a good relationship with the new government. It had developed an excellent partnership with Musharraf in the crackdown on Islamist militants along the country's border with Afghanistan.

The U.S. supported Musharraf because he was seen as their best ally in the US-led "war on terror".

Leaders in the new coalition are not keen on the U.S.-Musharraf method of dealing with radical Islam. They have suggested that it is better to work for a negotiated settlement.

Speaking after meeting the Americans, Sharif said he made it clear to the visitors that Pakistan has changed course for the better and is no longer a one-man show.

He said the National Assembly must determine how to address the problem and agree on what new strategy is best for the country and its people.

"It is unacceptable that while giving peace to the world we make our own country a killing field," Sharif told the BBC.

The presence of the American envoys on the day the new government takes office is a signal that Washington wants to make a clear statement that it needs to be involved.

One newspaper editor has gone so far to suggest that it is an indication that the U.S. is trying to dictate to the Pakistanis. Zaffar Abbas of the newspaper Dawn, told the international media the problem with the Americans "is they don't understand the domestic pressure on the new government."

He explained that people "are expecting this government to explore other possibilities for a solution to what's happening in the tribal areas."