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--> --> Pakistan: India fuels `war hysteria' NEW DELHI, India (AP) - India said its missiles were "in position" and air force jets flew near the Pakistan border every few minutes today as Pakistan accused India of whipping up "war hysteria" between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Despite the tensions, daily exchanges of gunfire at the countries' border subsided today, officials from both sides said. Anwar Mahmood, Pakistan's information secretary, said Islamabad would "act with restraint." India's security Cabinet met today to discuss "further diplomatic offensives," Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh said. Further steps could include a possible ban on Pakistan airline flights, abrogation of a water treaty, downgrading of embassies and cancellation of Pakistan's "most favored nation" trading status. No decision would be made until Thursday, when Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes returns from visiting Indian troops on the Siachen Glacier, which borders Pakistan and China. News reports quoted Indian military sources as saying they would not be ready for a full-scale war for several months and would prefer to avoid fighting during winter. And Singh confirmed that Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would go to a summit of South Asian leaders in Katmandu, Nepal, next week that Musharraf also plans to attend. Still, Fernandes told Press Trust of India that "missile systems are in position." India's arsenal includes medium-range Russian missiles and the Indian-made Prithvi I, which can be fired from a mobile launcher and has a range of 93 miles. Pakistani missiles - including medium-range Chinese-made weapons - have also been put on alert, Pakistan and Indian news media reported, as troops on both sides moved toward the border. Both sides' missile systems can be converted to deliver nuclear warheads, but it is not clear whether such steps have been taken. Mahmood said "Indian leaders are generating a war hysteria because of domestic compulsions." He promised restraint from Pakistan, saying, "Our hope is that better sense will prevail in India also." Tensions between the two countries have spiraled since India accused Pakistan's spy agency of sponsoring a deadly Dec. 13 attack by gunmen on Parliament in New Delhi, a charge Islamabad denies. India has been demanding Islamabad take action against Jaish-e-Mohammed and the second group it accuses in the attack, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. Both are battling to end Indian rule in Kashmir. Pakistan has frozen the groups' assets. "We do not want war, but war is being thrust on us and we will have to face it," Vajpayee said Tuesday. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing