The president had a very constructive discussion with the prime minister of Pakistan and as a result of that discussion a mission is going to be sent to Pakistan,'' the State Department spokesman, James Rubin, announced. The mission will include General Anthony Zinni, who commands U.S. forces in the Middle East and southwest Asia. Meanwhile, with the president in Europe, his administration came under sharp attack in Congress for its Asian policies. Legislators were also critical of the failure of U.S. intelligence agencies to bring Indian test preparations to the White House's attention in time to launch a diplomatic protest. It will also instruct its delegation to vote against India in the World Bank, where it is the largest borrower, and the International Monetary fund.
Humanitarian aid is unaffected.
A World Bank official said Wednesday that a meeting of donors prepared to promise aid to India had been canceled after Japan declined to be host to the gathering because of the tests. She said there were no plans to find another site for the two-day meeting, which had been due to start June 30. Mr. Clinton also said he agreed with many Indians that their country had been ''underappreciated,'' but that he hoped they would realize that it was ''a terrible mistake'' to use nuclear testing as a way to earn respect. ''To think that you have to manifest your greatness by behavior that recalls the very worst events of the 20th century on the edge of the 21st century, when everybody else is trying to leave the nuclear age behind, is just wrong,'' he said. The ordering of sanctions places the Clinton administration in a difficult position with its allies and critics in Congress. Russia said Wednesday that it was alarmed by the latest development, but did not back away from its earlier opposition to sanctions.