Islamabad: Insisting that he would never allow US forces to operate in Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf has said that "fanatics" can never take over the country despite al-Qaeda's presence on its soil.

He also said that Pakistan's nuclear assets are "safe" while terming as "totally misplaced" the concerns expressed by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei on the issue.

The Pakistani leader, in an interview to German daily Der Spiegel , said while he does not deny that al-Qaeda is carrying out terrorism in the tribal areas, "one thing is for sure; the fanatics can never take over Pakistan".

Musharraf, who described US President George W Bush as a "friend" he will "miss very much" after his tenure ends, said he would never allow US forces to operate on Pakistan's soil.

Asked about Democratic Presidential front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama vowing to take a tougher stance with regard to Pakistan, he said "all these politicians you have mentioned do not have access to intelligence information that could provide them with an accurate view of the situation. When these people get access to that kind of intelligence, I am sure they will not take a different approach than their predecessor. Why would they want to do something to destabilise us, a nuclear power?"

He sought a change of strategy in Afghanistan, favouring "political overtures" to win over the majority Pashtuns. "When I came on the scene in 1999, I told everyone, including President Bill Clinton...that the best strategy against the Taliban is to recognise them and try to change them from within.

Nobody agreed. "Then came the problems with Osama bin Laden. Everybody asked me to help the West to get him arrested or deported, but by then it was too late. I sent four or five missions to Mullah Omar from here, without any result," he said.

Source : PTI