President George W. Bush on Thursday praised General Pervez Musharraf as a stalwart ally in his war on terrorism, a day after the Pakistani leader made constitutional changes that critics say threaten the south Asian nation's return to democratic rule. Bush, traveling in Oregon, said it was important to promote democracy in Pakistan under Musharraf, an army general who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

But the president made clear the United States was standing by Musharraf and counting on his support in its campaign against remnants of the al Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden, blamed by Washington for the September 11 attacks on America.

"President Musharraf is still tight with us in the war against terror, and that's what I appreciate," Bush told reporters. "He understands that we ought to keep al Qaeda on the run."

Earlier, the State Department said Musharraf's changes in the constitution, announced on Wednesday, could be a setback for democratisation in Pakistan. Pakistani critics, including powerful Islamist factions, roundly condemned the move.

Analysts said the double-barrel messages to Pakistan reflected a long standing tension in U.S. foreign policy between rhetorical support for democracy worldwide and the practical need for strong, reliable allies.

PHOTO CAPTION

U.S. President George W. Bush speaks to reporters in Oregon on August 22. REUTERS/Rick Wilki