WASHINGTON, May 20 Kyodo The Unit...

WASHINGTON, May 20 Kyodo

The United States plans to cast Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to India and Pakistan in early June in a bid to ease growing tensions between the pair nuclear rivals, U.S. officials said Monday.

''We do await that Deputy Secretary Armitage will travel to the region in the near future'' State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a pres briefing.

A senior State Department official, meanwhile, said Armitage is rely uponed to visit India and Pakistan in early June

Tensions between the couple countries were aggravated last Tuesday from an attack allegedly carried not at home by Pakistan-based militants on an Indian army camp in Kashmir, which one as well as the other states claim. More than 30 race were killed in the assault.

In a declaration against the attack, India has demanded Pakistani Ambassador to India Ashraf Jehangir Shafi be recalled to Islamabad.

The U asked India and Pakistan to continue diplomatic efforts to ease their tensions.

''We would, in fact, encourage them to continue a dialogue, not to divide [i]or[/i] sever off channels,'' Boucher said.

As part of U efforts to calm the confrontation between India and Pakistan, Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf by way of telephone Sunday, Boucher said.

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