BREZHNEV MEDDLING CHARGE IS REJECTED BY U.S. AIDES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000202230133-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 6, 2010
• Sequence Number: 133
• Publication Date: February 23, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/06: CIA-RDP90-00552R000202230133-7
ARTICLE
_.C i ..
ON PAGE,
Afghanistan Turmoil ' Seen
As Nationalist Reaction
By Henry S. Bradsher
Washy. gtou Star Staff Writer
While U.S. officials insisted that.
the uprisings in Afghanistan are a
nationalist reaction,to Soviet con.
trol, Soviet leader.Leonid I. Brezh-?
nev blamed them yesterday on U.S.
interference and said once it ends
Soviet troops will withdraw. ,
"Let the United States together
with the neighbors of Afghanistan
guarantee," Brezhnev said, that all
forms of outside interference "are
fully terminated and .then. the
need of Soviet military assistance .
will cease to exist."'
Responding to-reporters I ques-
tions about the speech, the State De-
partment said, "Our position contin-
ties to he that all Soviet troops
should be withdrawn from Afghan-
istan and that there should be a
neutral, non-aligned government ac-
ceptable to the people of Afghanis
tan in Kabul. We are studying the
Brezhnev speech in this light."
Although President Carter and
West Europeans have advocated the
neutralization of? Afghanistan,
Soviet sources have rejected any
solution that would remove the
country from .,the newly expanded
Soviet bloc.
U.S. officials said privately that
Brezhnev's=?-fdea of guarantees
against outside interference was un-
likely to forma basis for resolving
the-crisis. So Tong as Afghan domes-
-'tic resistance continues, the Soviet
Union will find it convenient to
blame foreign. meddling, so It will
deny the validity of any guarantees.
Some observers compared Brezh-
nev's suggestion with President Car-,
ter's call at his'Feb. 14 news confer-
ence for "a commitment that might
be verified and carried out that the 11
Soviets woulcl'not invade another
country or use their military forces
`beyond their borders again to de-
WASHINGTON STAR
23 FEBRUARY 1.980
B cxuf_~~Uu t 11V U11
States of a""malicious anti-Soviet
clainor ... (that) probably beats all-
previous records .Washington
simply needs a pretext to broaden its
expansion in Asia" as well as "for
somebody riding the crest of this
wave to win the presidential elec-
tions in the autumn."
He repeated Kremlin charges that
Americans, Chinese and others had
directed from Pakistani territory an
stabilize the peace." Both were iml intervention in Afghanistan "that'
practical in the real world of power! has created a serious threat to the
politics, these observers said. } Afghan revolution and also to the se-
Brezhnev, the Soviet Communist curity of our southern border."
Party's general-secretary and his na- The White House knows, Brezh-
tion's president, was the last speaker; nev said, "that the USSR will with-1
in a series of leadership speeches be- draw its military contingents from j
fore tomorrow's party controlled Afghanistan as soon as the reasons`
elections to Soviet regional parlia- that caused their presence there I
meats. disappear and the Afghan govern-
He repeated in a tougher, more ?ment decides that their presence is
strident form the Soviet line that no longer necessary.
Soviet troops were in Afghanistan '"The United States loudly de-
only because of foreign interference mands the withdrawal of Soviet
there and they would leave as soon troops but in fact is doing every-
as it ended. thing. to put off this possibility. It is
On Thursday Premier Alexei N. continuing and building up its inter-
Kosygin had strongly implied that ference in the affairs of Afghanis-
the Kremlin had no expectation of tan," Brezhnev said.
withdrawing from Afghanistan. He I want to state very definitely: We
accused the United States of de will be ready to commence the with-
manding that Afghan Communists drawal of our troops as soon as all
renounce foreign support, but they forms of outside interference di-
"will never give it up," he said. rected against the government and
U.S. officials have said that the people of Afghanistan are fully
faction-ridden Communists in Kabul terminated. Let the United States to-
have been unable to win popular gether with the neighbors of Af-
support. They could not remain in ghanistan guarantee this, and then
power without Soviet troops, and the need of Soviet military assist-
Moscow might decide to overthrow ance will cease to exist."
President Babrak Karmal in a search Brezhnev said the Afghan govern-
for a better leader, according to the meat has said it wants peaceful and
officials. friendly relations .with neighboring
"The overwhelming fact" about Pakistan and Iran. Both countries
the trouble in Afghanistan, State De- have expressed apprehensions about
partment spokesman Thomas B. Res- the presence of Soviet troops in Af
.ton said yesterday, "is that there is ghanistan.
indigenous resistance to the Soviet- In Peshawar, the Pakistani city
imposed government." The Afghan near the Khyber Pass, Afghan resist
people are "showing how they feel ante groups and diplomats were
about a foreign occupying army, he quoted yesterday as saying Soviet
troops up to battalion-sized combat
added.
z-1 .
Reston refused to comment on re units were moving toward the Pakis-
ports that the resistance is receiving tani border.
some weapons from American Diplomats in the. area were quoted
sources. Although Sen. Barry Gold- by a The New York Times corre-
water, R- rhz. as seemee to con- spondent as saying they believed the
irm that the Senate's Permanent Se- deployments might presage an effort. i
ect ommitt
I
ll
tr
ee ot~
nte
i
ence h~ to close the mountainous frontier to
been briefed by the CIA on a U
S
.
.
arms suppIx to e rests ce of,
cia s here have said it is primarily
edenden own captured arms or
those rom desertino,Elfi?han scil-
diers...a.?
Afghan refugees or resistance guer-
rillas, but they doubted that it would
succeed.
Observers in Washington noted
that the most intensive fighting
'against the Soviets and their dwin-
.dling force of still-Ioyal Afghan sol-
diers has been in Afghan provinces.
bordering on Pakistan. The Soviet
troop movements might be intended
to deal with guerrillas in these prov
inces.-r
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/06: CIA-RDP90-00552R000202230133-7