(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-22 11:02

BRUSSELS -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday promised his administration would respect the result of the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels Jan. 21, 2008. [Xinhua]

"Whoever wins, obviously power will be handed over," he told reporters and business leaders at a breakfast event in Brussels, where he began his four-nation visit to Europe.

"There is no question at all that we would deny forming a government to whichever party forms a majority," he added.

"We are determined to hold free, fair and transparent elections, and peaceful elections. There is no possibility of it being rigged," he said, referring to the parliamentary elections slated for Feb. 18.

Musharraf urged the West to give Pakistan more time to move towards democracy. "We are for democracy and I have introduced the essence of democracy, but we cannot be as forward looking as you are. Allow us some time to reach that state," he said.

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The elections were delayed repeatedly because of a political crisis and the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Dec. 27.

He pointed his finger at Islamist tribal leader Baitullah Mehsud for assassinating Bhutto and for more suicide bombings.

During his stay in Brussels, Musharraf will meet with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, European Union top diplomat Javier Solana and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

He will also travel to Paris to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy before participating in the World Economic Forum in Davos,

Switzerland. His last leg of his European tour is London, where he will meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.