WASHINGTON, May 30: US President George W. Bush indicated on Friday that his administration still backed President Pervez Musharraf in his conflict with political rivals who wanted to oust him.

“The president reiterated the United States’ strong support for Pakistan and he indicated he looked forward to President Musharraf’s continuing role in further strengthening US-Pakistani relations,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told journalists.

At a later briefing, Ms Perino said the US was “very concerned” about the situation in Fata “but we believe that the Pakistanis are, as well, and that we need to continue to make sure that we can confront the terrorists there on the border”.

Also on Friday, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Pakistan’s new civilian leaders needed time to “get their feet on the ground” before they could be expected to move aggressively against Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgents in their border area.

Diplomatic observers in Washington noted that President Bush not only telephoned Mr Musharraf but the White House also took the unusual step of announcing the details of this conversation. Usually, the White House lets the office of the leader who receives the call divulge its details to the media.

The White House said the conversation was a follow-up to Mr Bush’s recent meeting in Egypt with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Reports in a section of Pakistani press about a late-night meeting this week between Mr Musharraf and Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani fuelled widespread speculation that the army was urging him to resign.

Mr Musharraf dismissed the reports, declaring that he continued to have good relations with the institution he used to lead before quitting as army chief last year. An army spokesman also contradicted the report.

The US media, however, noted that it was becoming increasingly difficult for Mr Musharraf to hang on to power. They pointed out that Mr Musharraf’s future hung in the balance as he faced mounting pressure from his opponents to step down despite his controversial re-election to another five-year term in November.

Aides to Mr Musharraf have been talking to PPP officials for some weeks, the media reported, noting that the PPP was in a position to help the president retain his office.

The Wall Street Journal noted that the PPP government had proposed measures in parliament to curb the president’s power but it had declined so far to publicly join calls for his ouster.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Gates has opposed those who advocate bringing more pressure on the new Pakistani government to force it to abandon peace talks with the Fata militants.

He noted that Pakistani military forces were still communicating with Nato troops in Afghanistan, but acknowledged that the Pakistanis had at least temporarily halted their own operations against insurgents.

“Pakistan is in a transition,” Mr Gates said at a news conference on a US Air Force base on the Pacific island of Guam. “I think until they get their feet on the ground and get a full appreciation of the nature of the threats that they face and their approach to it, I think we just have to give them a little time.”

Mr Gates was reacting to comments by the outgoing US commander in Afghanistan, Army General Dan McNeill, who pressed Pakistan to clamp down on insurgents using its tribal region as a staging area to attack US, Afghan and NATO forces across the border.

President’s spokesman: Maj-Gen (retd) Rashid Qureshi said the telephone conversation between US President George Bush and President Musharraf lasted about 25 minutes, during which the former reiterated his country’s support for Pakistan and President Musharraf.