NEW YORK, Sept 22 (AFP) - President George W. Bush thanked Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Wednesday for pursuing a military offensive in a remote area where Osama bin Laden may be hiding, senior US officials said.
"We encouraged President Musharraf to continue to go after Al-Qaeda elements that may be operating in the border area, as well, and perhaps even more importantly, Taliban elements that might be operating in the tribal area," US Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters.
"What we want to do is create a safe environment inside Afghanistan for the upcoming elections on October 9, and that was a principal point of discussion with President Musharraf," he said after the two leaders met.
Bush and Musharraf, meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, also discussed Pakistan-India relations, security in Afghanistan, and the November 2 elections, another official said on condition of anonymity.
The two leaders did not discuss the North Korean nuclear standoff or whether Musharraf would stay on as army chief despite his earlier public pledge to quit the post this year, the official told reporters
Much of their exchange centered on Pakistani efforts to flush out suspected Al-Qaeda fighters hiding in tribal territory in the country's northwestern regions, near the border with Afghanistan, the official said.
"He and his military and other security forces have been doing quite a lot in the western part of the country and in the tribal areas along the border," said Powell.
"We all would like to find Osama bin Laden tomorrow. But he is pretty good at remaining hidden. And he is, I think to some extent, a problem, but is quite isolated in his ability to move around. But nevertheless he is a danger," he added.
"It's sort of a nest that could include bin Laden, certainly includes a lot of leadership from Taliban and from Al-Qaeda. Already, they've bagged some people," the anonymous official said. "But the very top guys are still at large."
Bush "expressed his appreciation for that (campaign) and condolences for the losses they've suffered," the official told reporters in a White House-arranged briefing.
On efforts to soothe tensions between Pakistan and India, "the early signals are good," said the official, who noted that Bush had met a day earlier with India's new prime minister, Manmohan Singh.
"There are very tough problems, like Kashmir, that are still not resolved. But early (confidence building) efforts and dialogue between the foreign ministers have been important," said the official.
Bush and Musharraf also discussed the nuclear proliferation network once run by the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, AQ Khan, and efforts to "make sure this network is totally rolled up," said the official.