June 21, 2002	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 9, 1423

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NEW DELHI, June 20: Fears of nuclear war led Washington to pull US diplomatic personnel out of India, the American ambassador said in remarks released on Thursday.

Ambassador Robert Blackwill also said that although tensions between India and Pakistan had eased in recent weeks, the situation still remained “extremely dangerous”.

“It is no doubt that the nuclear dimension accelerated our decision making and did accelerate the departure of Americans from India, including from the US government part of that American citizen presence here,” Blackwill said in a pre-recorded address to the US-India Business Council, released by the US embassy.

Blackwill said while the United States felt the risks of nuclear war between Pakistan and India were “rather small”, it decided to remain prudent because the consequences of such a conflict would be “enormously catastrophic” for both Islamabad and New Delhi.—AFP