Islamabad: Reaching out to the PPP, President Pervez Musharraf today said he will convene Pakistan's new Parliament within two weeks and promised to fully support the new coalition government led by it.

Musharraf s attempt to cosy up to slain Benazir Bhutto s party came amid talks in the coalition that it could muster two-thirds majority required to take any major step like impeaching him.

Slain former premier Bhutto s PPP is set to form government at the centre with the backing of former premier Nawaz Sharif's PML-N and the Awami National Party, which draws its support from the ethnic Pashtun minority.

The three parties are five seats short of a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament, having won a total of 223 seats in the 342-member National Assembly.

The parties could reach the magic figure following polls to 10 seats that are yet to be held, following which they could impeach the President and scrap his powers to dissolve parliament.

"The national and provincial assemblies sessions will be called in a week or one and a half weeks," Musharraf said in his first public comments since the February 18 polls were won by his rivals.

The victorious parties have been demanding that the president summon the National Assembly so that they can elect their prime minister.
Source : PTI