Musharraf going to Saudi, Sharif denies plan to meet

By Simon Cameron-Moore

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Exiled Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday he would not meet President Pervez Musharraf, the army general who deposed him eight years ago, when Musharraf visits Saudi Arabia this week.

"No, no, no," Sharif told Reuters by telephone from Saudi Arabia when asked if he would meet or have any contact with Musharraf, who is due to begin a two-day visit to the Kingdom on Tuesday.

The Pakistani opposition is calling for Musharraf to roll back emergency rule invoked on November 3, restore the constitution, reinstate judges ousted from the Supreme Court, lift curbs on the media and release thousands of detained lawyers and political and rights activists.

The Pakistan Foreign Ministry said Musharraf would hold talks with King Abdullah in the capital Riyadh and perform a minor haj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca, Islam's holiest city which is near the port city of Jeddah where Sharif lives.

Leaks of Musharraf's visit ignited speculation he would visit his old foe.

The News, a leading daily, said on Monday there were "credible reports" that Musharraf would meet Sharif, whose return from exile was blocked in September.

"What am I supposed to talk to him about? He would have to accept all the opposition's demands first," Sharif said.

"Once he does all that I, the opposition that is, can sit across a table from him, but the opposition has to decide."