ISLAMABAD - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday rejected calls for him to resign, but suggested he might quit if parliament reduces him to a toothless figurehead.
Musharraf, a stalwart U.S. ally, has been under mounting pressure since his supporters lost parliamentary elections in February. Media reports this week suggested he was ready to resign and go into exile.
The former army strongman said Saturday that he would not quit under pressure. His foes are calling for his impeachment and trial for treason, a charge which carries the death penalty.
However, he indicated that he would go if the new government succeeds in reducing his still considerable powers to the point where he feels like a "useless vegetable.''
"Parliament is supreme. Whatever the parliament decides I will accept it,'' Musharraf told reporters from Pakistani news channels, which broadcast his remarks. "If I see that I don't have any role to play, then it is better to play golf.''
Western officials worry that Pakistan's government is preoccupied with Musharraf's future rather than tackling mounting economic woes and Islamic extremist groups operating along its border with Afghanistan.
The two-month-old ruling coalition, led by two men who were jailed under the ex-army chief, is divided over how to deal with Musharraf.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose government was ousted in Musharraf's 1999 coup, leads the second-largest party in the coalition.
Sharif is calling loudly for Musharraf's impeachment and trial on treason charges. He is also pressing hard for the restoration of judges the president ousted last year to halt legal challenges to his continued rule.
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and leader of the main ruling party, recently described Musharraf as a "relic of the past'' who should resign.
But Zardari wants to restore the judges as part of a cumbersome raft of constitutional amendments that would also remove Musharraf's power to dissolve Parliament and appoint military chiefs.
Some analysts doubt whether the coalition can agree on the constitutional package or muster the two-thirds majority required to bring it through parliament any time soon.
Musharraf, who has kept a low public profile in recent weeks, said he was speaking out because the rumours about his future were harming the country.
He said the government should focus on addressing economic woes, which include trade and budget deficits as well as double-digit inflation fuelled by rising world oil and food prices.
"To take the country out of this crisis, I think reconciliation is the key. Confrontation would take the country further down,'' he said. "I have no doubt the government and prime minister want to confront all these issues. My support will be with them.''
Musharraf said he would accept the reinstatement of the judges through a constitutional amendment. He said he had no intention of dissolving the current parliament "in the current circumstances.''
Still, Zardari's party claimed that a remark by Musharraf that he would "not sit idle'' was a signal that he would try to block moves to weaken his powers.
"Such hollow warnings would not deter the democratic forces from restoring the powers of the parliament,'' party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in a statement.
Musharraf also defended his close alliance with U.S. President George W. Bush, who has praised his efforts to track down al Qaeda suspects since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
In a telephone call last week, Bush said he looked forward to Musharraf continuing his role in boosting bilateral relations.
Asked if U.S. support had enabled him to cling to power, Musharraf demurred.
He said he maintained close ties with Bush "only in the interests of Pakistan ... my going or staying depends on Pakistan and me and nobody else.''
