Faraway in Warwick has reached a stand-off.

Bermuda Digital Communications, the developers of the site, say there are no health risks associated with the tower, an assertion supported by Government.

The objectors to the plan -- Community Against Radioactive Emissions -- have unearthed a significant body of research to show that the emissions from the tower could be dangerous, although they cannot say so definitively. By the same token, it is hard to believe Government and BDC can say for certain there are no health risks.

On Friday, the Mid-Ocean News revealed that the construction of the tower appeared to go against the recommendations of the Department of Planning, which said in early 1998 it believed there were sufficient towers already erected across the Island to cater to Bermuda's telecommunications needs.

It is not clear whether the towers which did exist were suitable to Bermuda Digital Communications' needs, although it seems that BDC believes it must have this site to complete its network.

What is known is that just weeks after that recommendation was made, the company was granted permission to erect its network of towers. We can only assume that before granting permission, the Development Applications Board gave careful consideration to both the potential health risks and the problem of unsightly towers going up all over the Island.

Now, both sides appear to be deadlocked and Government is caught in the middle. If it maintains BDC's right to erect and operate the tower, it runs the risk of endangering the health of area residents. If it stops the company, it puts BDC's financial future at risk -- on the as yet unproven supposition that the emissions from the tower might harm the residents.

The only answer is to call in an independent assessor to examine the problem -- both from a health and a planning perspective -- and to determine if the tower is genuinely a health risk.

If it is, then the tower should be stopped. If it is not, then the tower should go ahead -- but only on the condition that if definitive evidence is found that its emissions are harmful, then the tower will be shut down for good.

KING'S LEGACY EDT King's legacy The death of King Hussein of Jordan may seem very remote from Bermuda, but events in the Middle East can and do have a profound effect on the rest of the world.

Since 1952, King Hussein has been a "permanent fixture'' in the region, holding together his diverse kingdom and ultimately proving to be a force for peace.

While royalty may appear to be an anachronism in most of the world, King Hussein -- whose "dynasty'' is of relatively recent vintage -- was a genuine symbol of unity for his countrymen while bringing stability and good government to a region where both have often been the exception.

As a man who could move easily between the West and the East, he will be missed. It is to be hoped that his son can do as well as he did and continue his legacy of being a voice of reason in a region which desperately needs it.

Complete coverage of King Hussein's funeral begins on Page 7