Soviet troop withdrawal offer doubted

Press, 9 January 1987, Page 6

Soviet troop withdrawal offer doubted

NZPA-Reuter Moscow

The Soviet Union has said it is prepared to set a timetable for withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, and has urged all forces involved in the war to heed a ceasefire call.

In response to the appeal, made in an official statement, the United States said yesterday it hoped that Moscow was serious about the pull-out proposal, but expressed some scepticism over the announcement.

The statement, released at the end of the highestlevel Soviet visit to Afghanistan since Moscow intervened militarily in the country in December, 1979, pledged Soviet support for Kabul in seeking the quickest possible end to the Afghan war.

“Within the framework (of United Nations-spon-sored talks), the question of a timetable for the withdrawal of Soviet troops will also be agreed upon,” said the communique, which was issued by the official

Soviet news agency, Tass. The communique, which refered to U.N.sponsored peace talks led by a special mediator, Diego Cordovez, came after a two-day visit to Kabul by the Soviet Foreign Minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, and a senior foreign policy adviser, Anatoly Dobrynin.

It called on all forces involved in the Afghan war to obey a call by the Afghan Leader, Najibullah, for a six-month truce starting from January 15, and to use it to help the search for a political settlement.

But the communique did not indicate when a full withdrawal would begin or how long it would last. Mr Shevardnadze said in an interview with the Bakhtar news agency in Afghanistan that a political settlement did not depend exclusively on the removal of Soviet troops. "Those who represent matters in such a way as to imply that a political settlement depends only on the withdrawal of our troops are speaking

falsely,” he said. Western analysts in Moscow said a quick Soviet withdrawal was highly unlikely. In Washington, the White House poured some scorn on the announcement.

The Assistant'Secretary of Defence, Richard Perle, told reporters: “This is not the first indication we have seen that the Soviets may be prepared to withdraw from Afghanistan, and yet despite previous indications... the number of troops has grown and the level and pace of military activity has been unusually high in recent weeks.”

Tass said in a commentary on the American response that the United States had shown no new signs of political thinking in its reaction to the recent moves in Afghanistan, and accused it of ignoring concrete steps already taken by the Soviet Union.

The agency was referring to the limited withdrawal of six regiments,

or some 8000 men, from Afghanistan last October. According to Western estimates, the Soviet Union had about 115,000 troops in the country before the limited pulbout. In London, a senior Afghan diplomat said Soviet troops in Afghanistan would lay down their arms and return to their garrisons as part of the ceasefire announced last week.

Mujahideen guerrillas have rejected the truce call, along with an appeal by Mr Najibullah for national reconciliation and talks on a coalition government.

Western analysts in Moscow said the Soviet visit to Kabul appeared timed to strengthen the position of the Sovietbacked Government at the next round of U.N.sponsored Afghan peace talks in Geneva next month.

They said the Kremlin would not abandon the Afghan Government until it was certain that Mr Najibullah could stay in power.