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State Department Urges All But Essential American Diplomats to Leave India

Aired May 31, 2002 - 11:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get the view from the White House now. For that, we go to John King at the White House.

Hi there, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka.

Well, another step as the administration ponders just how to deal with the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The State Department this morning issuing an advisory, urging all but essential American diplomats in India to leave the country. And the United States government will provide transportation to those diplomats and their families. The State Department also urging the estimated 60,000 Americans who live and work in India, that they should leave the country, too. Those are U.S. citizens in India.

The State Department saying tensions between nuclear neighbors, India and Pakistan now at such a high point, the United States government recommendation to all Americans and nonessential diplomats is to leave India.

Similar restrictions in place in Pakistan. This advisory issued by the administration today, a follow up yesterday to a cabinet meeting here at the White House. President Bush announced that not only will Secretary of State Colin Powell's top deputy go to the region -- that visit already had been scheduled -- but the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now will go as well.

The effort is to try, number one, to ease the tensions between those two countries, India and Pakistan, but also in Secretary Rumsfeld's mission, to get a sense of how those tensions are impacting the ongoing war against terrorism.

Still, for all the international diplomacy, Mr. Bush says the only way to reduce those tensions is for the leaders of India and Pakistan to step back and consider the consequences of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are making it very clear to both Pakistan and India that war will not serve their interests. And we are a part of an international coalition, applying pressure to both parties, particularly to President Musharraf. He must stop the incursions across the line of control. He must do so. He said he would do so. We and others are making it clear to him that he must live up to his word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The president talking there at very end about incursions, terrorist raids from the Pakistani side of the line of control separating the disputed Kashmir region. That is the source of the tension between Pakistan and India, because President Musharraf, in the view of the White House, has not completely kept that promise. Something strange right now for the man who has been a key ally in the U.S. war against terrorism. Pakistan also moving some troops from its side of the Afghan border up toward the Kashmir region. That complicating U.S. efforts to contain and search for Al Qaeda as well -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, John, does that mean that Donald Rumsfeld is heading to that region. It's primarily going to be his goal to try to convince Pakistan to keep his troops on that Afghanistan border in order to help in the ongoing war against terrorism.

KING: It's a very complicated mission. First and foremost, Secretary Rumsfeld wants to make it clear by the presence of such a high level U.S. official that he believes Pakistan must do more to stop those incursions President Bush was talking about. He also wants to urge the Indian government, which has been preparing warheads for its missiles, not to do anything provocative that could provoke some sort of miscalculation on the Pakistani side.

And yes, he has to look on the ground from an operation standpoint. There are more than 1,100 U.S. troops in Pakistan, well in excess of that in Afghanistan and other countries around there. Secretary Rumsfeld would like those Pakistani troops to stay. They are moving now. His job is to look out for the health, and safety and the operational details of the U.S. forces on the ground to see if they need to change the battleplans because of the tensions between India and Pakistan.

WHITFIELD: And, quickly, John, when is he actually making the move?

KING: Late next week. He is already scheduled to make some European stops late next week. We don't have the exact itinerary yet.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, John King, from the White House.

Now the growing concern about the volatile dispute between India and Pakistan doesn't just concern Americans. The two countries massed some one million troops along the disputed region of Kashmir, and now Pakistan is shuffling its troops.

CNN's Tom Mintier journeyed earlier today to a town near the front lines. He joins us from Islamabad, via videophone right now.

Hi, there.

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

The story really started yesterday when President Musharraf said the plans were being looked at, considerations were being made, but he said at the time that no troops had moved. His spokesman saying the operation was already under way to relocate some troops from the Afghan border to the Indian border, and today, the government confirmed that, that indeed troops have been moved.

We went to Hajira today by Pakistani military helicopter. This is an area about 8 or 9 kilometers from the line of control. And about 48 hours ago, it was shelled heavily by the Indian gunners. Seven people were killed. We saw one vehicle that was hit by one of the artillery shells that landed about 10 feet from the side of the road. The entire side of the vehicle as ripped apart. Four people were killed instantly when that round went off. They also sprayed a building across the road. Another shell about a block away impacted. They said there were no military targets in this area, and there were civilians only that were targeted. But there was an army supply depot there.

We did ask the military commander of the region about the infiltration, and he said that he had his eyes toward the Indian troops on the other side of the line of control. He wasn't looking back to see who might be trying to sneak across. Also officials in the region say that with so many troops from India on the border, it would be impossible for those incursions to take place undetected.

We are hearing, you know, denial from the Pakistani military that they were aware of any incursions, that they go on. But this Hajira, this small village about eight kilometers from the line of control, was hit heavily 48 hours ago. The military showed us the tailfins from the mortars and heavy mortars, some rocket tubes that had been picked up in the city. The entire city was closed down today. All of the shots were shuttered as a sign of mourning. Seven of its residents were killed in a shelling raid just 48 hours ago -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Tom Mintier, by videophone, thank you very much.

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