Thatcher hopeful of Afghan peace

Press, 8 April 1987, Page 10

Thatcher hopeful of Afghan peace

NZPA-Reuter London The British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, believes that the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, is sincere in saying he wants to pull his country’s troops out of Afghanistan. Mrs Thatcher, speaking at a dinner for the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister, Mohammed Khan Junejo, said she based her impression on talks she had last week in Moscow with Mr Gorbachev. But, she said, the Soviet Union, did not appear ready to take the necessary steps to withdraw its troops. The Afghan issue has become the focal point of Mr Junejo’s eight-day visit to Britain. Pakistan, home

to three million Afghan refugees, supports Muslim guerrillas fighting the communist Kabul Government and an estimated 115,000 Soviet troops.

Britain and Pakistan agreed at talks yesterday that the war would not end until Moscow allowed Afghanistan to have a non-aligned government. Mrs Thatcher told the dinner that there was indisputably a “new mood” in the Soviet Union, but said there were very few signs that Mr Gorbachev’s reforms had affected Soviet foreign policy.

“But I do not believe foreign policy can remain insulated from internal change,” she said. “I am hopeful that, as a result of my visit, we may see progress in Afghanistan.”