ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - In a clear warning to the United States and Russia, Pakistan's president said Wednesday that no government could successfully replace the Taliban in Afghanistan if it were imposed from abroad. (Read photo caption)

At the same time, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said any new Afghan government must be ``broad-based'' and ``multiethnic'' - unlike the Taliban regime, which is dominated by the country's largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns.
Musharraf made the remarks during a joint meeting of his National Security Council and federal Cabinet. A summary of his comments was distributed by the government news agency.
It appeared the remarks were made to prepare Pakistan's 140 million people - most of whom are Muslims - for a possible U.S. attack on the Taliban because they refuse to hand over terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden.
The comments were also clearly designed to justify Musharraf's decision to back the United States in a showdown with another Islamic government. Pakistan is the only country to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Musharraf's remarks came as Western capitals indicated that the U.S.-led anti-terrorism coalition is not only committed to capturing bin Laden and destroying his al-Qaida terrorist network but also to toppling the Taliban, which permitted him to use Afghanistan as a base.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that the Taliban must surrender bin Laden ``or surrender power.''
In Afghanistan, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar predicted a U.S. retreat. ``You will see one day that America will run away,'' he said.
Clashes between Taliban forces and fighters from the northern alliance of opposition groups raged Wednesday in central and northern Afghanistan. Both sides claimed progress.
PHOTO CAPTION:
The days of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban appear to be numbered, Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf told the BBC in an interview on October 1, 2001. Musharraf, shown during a Sept. 25 meeting, said "It appears that the United States will take action in Afghanistan. We have conveyed this to the Taliban." (Yves Herman/Reuters)