What John Kerry says matters to the world. The Pakistani press noticed his words last week.

Sen. Kerry says he tried to get security for Bhutto

The senator made his comments at American International College in Springfield.

Saturday, January 12, 2008 By MARLA A. GOLDBERG

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., told about 300 high school students here yesterday that former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto told him shortly before she was assassinated that President Pervez Musharraf prevented her from gaining private security.

Speaking during the Model Congress program at American International College, Kerry offered no details, but said he contacted the State Department after a bombing in October endangered Bhutto. He said he asked if American protection could be arranged for her.

"I was trying to get her help through the State Department," said Kerry.

Bhutto was assassinated on Dec. 27 in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi. In recent days, Musharraf has said his government provided sufficient protection, and that Bhutto should not have emerged from her vehicle's sun roof while leaving a rally.

Despite the growing threat from Islamic extremists, Musharraf said U.S. troops are not welcome to join the fight against al-Qaida on Pakistani soil.

Kerry said he spoke with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and on Dec. 27 a statement on Kerry's Web site said they discussed "ways the United States might work with President Musharraf to ensure her (Bhutto's) safety."

In a brief interview, Kerry said he did not know if the State Department took any action to protect Bhutto.

"I don't want to criticize ... I don't know what efforts were made," he said.

However, Kerry, who chairs the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs, said the administration should have done whatever it could.

Edgar Vasquez, a spokesman for the State Department, told The Republican, "On many occasions, officials from this building communicated our concerns about Ms. Bhutto's security to Ms. Bhutto, people within her party, and the government."

Musharraf denied Benazir’s request for private security: Kerry

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: US Senator John Kerry has said that Benazir Bhutto had told him shortly before she was assassinated that President Pervez Musharraf had denied her private security.

Speaking at the American International College in Springfield, Kerry offered no details, but said he contacted the State Department after the October 18 bombing in Karachi to try to arrange American protection for her. State Department spokesman Edgar Vasquez told The Republican that state officials had communicated their concerns about Benazir’s security to her, people within her party, and the government.