PAKISTANI PERSONNEL STAND OUTSIDE THEIR EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON, 1999-10-13 (photo)

Pakistani personnel stand outside their embassy in Washington, October 13. The United States called on Wednesday for the earliest possible return to civilian rule after the coup in Pakistan, but adopted a measured tone as it watched the power struggle unfold. "We expect them to return to democratic rule and want to hear what their plans are," Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said at an appearance at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. "I want to make it absolutely clear that military takeovers of this kind make it difficult to carry on business as usual," she said, adding it had created "a new level of uncertainty" on the subcontinent. HB/