President Pervez Musharraf greets newly-elected Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after swearing-in ceremony, 25 Mar 2008
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has sworn in a democratically elected prime minister who will lead a new coalition that won last month's parliamentary elections.
Mr. Musharraf administered the oath of office to Yousuf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan Peoples Party at the presidential palace in Islamabad today Tuesday.
After he was sworn in, Mr. Gilani appealed to the country's political parties to cooperate in dealing with various crises, especially economic problems.
President Bush telephoned Mr. Gilani to congratulate him on assuming office and reiterate that Washington views Pakistan as an important ally. The White House says both leaders agreed that fighting extremists is in everyone's interest.
Also today, President Musharraf met with visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher in Islamabad. The two U.S. envoys also had talks with Nawaz Sharif, a senior partner in the new coalition government.
Washington Barta
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