Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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U.N. staffers ordered to send families home as tension persists in India-Pakistan standoff BY KATHY GANNON ASSOCIATED PRESS ISLAMABAD Pakistan (AP) - Hundreds of U.N. staff members in Pakistan and India have been or dered to send their families home as fears grow of war between the nuclear-armed neighbors, a U.N. of ficial said Saturday. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Saturday renewed his call for negotiations with India to defuse tensions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has of fered to mediate during next week's regional summit in Kazakhstan. India repeatedly has said it will not use nuclear weapons first, and Musharraf said on Saturday no "sane individual" would contemplate using nuclear weapons. ”1 don't think either side is that irresponsible to go to that limit," Musharraf told CNN on Saturday. "Any sane individual cannot even think of going into this unconven tional war, whatever the pressures." The military standoff at the India-Pakistan border persisted, with India's defense minister say ing there is little hope of a swift res olution. "We are evacuating all the de pendents of international staff in Pakistan as soon as possible," said Onder Yucer, U.N. security officer in Pakistan. He said the same order was given to U.N. staff in India. "This is not a product of any as sessment that the situation is get ting more dangerous by the minute, but an attempt to deal with the po tential situation before it develops," said Feodor Starcevik, a spokesman for the United Nations in New Delhi. U.N. officials in Islamabad were scrambling to find flights for their dependents and were considering chartering aircraft. The departure order came a day after the United States announced a voluntary evacuation of its nonessential staff from India, con cerned that the neighbors may be inching closer to war. Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France and South Korea re leased similar warnings to their na tionals in India. Most already had issued similar advice for Pakistan, where there have been several dead ly attacks targeting foreigners this year. Much of the bad blood between India and Pakistan stems from their dispute over Kashmir, a divided Himalayan province which both claim in its entirety. Both countries tested nuclear weapons in 1998, rais ing the stakes in their long-stand ing rivalry. Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes said Saturday there was no sign of a reconciliation with Pakistan. "There is still no coming closer in sight," Fernandes told The Associated Press in Singapore, where he attended an Asian defense summit. On Friday, he said the sit uation on the border with Pakistan was "stable" despite almost daily ex changes of fire across the frontier. President Bush has pressured Pakistan - an ally in the war on ter rorism but also a country that is home to many Muslim extremists - to halt cross-border attacks. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday the Bush administra tion expects Musharraf to use all his authority to stop the influx of extremists from Pakistani territo ry into India "and to keep it stopped so that we can get this crisis behind us." "When and if it does stop, it must also stop permanently," he added. "It can't be something where you turn a tap on or off." Track CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Sarg'e Frye Field at the conclusion of the baseball team's 3-lvictory over North Carolina. They received a long ovation from the Gamecock faithful, and the fans took to the field to congratulate the team. Among the first to show their ap preciation was the USC baseball team, and head coach Ray Tanner thought his squad was inspired by the track teams' success, "We kept up with how the track team teams were doing in Baton Rouge and when we heard the news Saturday night that the women had won the national title-it just made me so proud to be a part of the Athletics Department at South Carolina," Tanner said. Coach Frye looked around Sarge Frye Field and summed up the emotional meet and homecom ing: "This whole thing has been a little surreal until now...I think it has just hit home that we won the national title" Comments on this story ? E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Directions: Just across the Gervais St. Bridge - Left at Second Light na II you are under the age of 21. it is against the law to buy alcoholic beverages AH ABC regulations enforced. •Large one and two bedroom floor plans • Located close to campus • Great roommate floor plan •Walt in closets • Swimming pool and two tennis courts • Car wash area, laundry facility and wei ght room Ask about our student summer 1/2 OFF special! ! Call us @772-9409 or Stop by -100 Bryton Trace (across from Pulliam Wray by the flashing yellow light)