SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN KABUL REPORTEDLY ALLEGES U.S. AND PAKISTANI ROLE IN FOMENTING REBELLION IN SOVIET CENTRAL ASIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 05966



E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR

TAGS: PREL, AF, PK, UR, US

SUBJECT: SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN KABUL REPORTEDLY

ALLEGES U.S. AND PAKISTANI ROLE IN FOMENTING

REBELLION IN SOVIET CENTRAL ASIA



REF: AP WIRESTORY VV915 R IBT W0095 19-02 00411



1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.



2. DURING A FEBRUARY 20 MEETING ON ANOTHER SUBJECT,

THE AMBASSADOR TOOK UP WITH FIRST DEPUTY FOREIGN

MINISTER BESSMERTNYKH ALLEGATIONS REPORTEDLY MADE BY

SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN KABUL BORIS PASTUKHOV THAT THE

U.S. AND PAKISTAN WERE ASSISTING MUJAHEDIN GROUPS IN

FOMENTING REBELLION IN SOVIET CENTRAL ASIA. PASSING

BESSMERTNYKH AN AP ACCOUNT OF PASTUKHOV'S SUNDAY,

FEBRUARY 18 PRESS CONFERENCE (REF),THE AMBASSADOR

NOTED THAT PASTUKHOV HAD REPORTEDLY ACCUSED "THE

UNITED STATES AND PAKISTAN OF USING MOSLEM

FUNDAMENTALISTS TO FUNNEL MILITARY AID TO STRIFE-TORN

SOUTHERN SOVIET REPUBLICS"..."AND HAD CREATED AN

ORGANIZATION SPECIFICALLY TO FUEL THIS UNREST" (THE

UNION OF NORTHERN PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN).



3. THE AMBASSADOR ASKED BESSMERTNYKH TO CLARIFY

WHETHER PASTUKHOV HAD ACTUALLY SAID THIS. THIS WAS A

VERY SERIOUS CHARGE, AND AS BESSMERTNYKH KNEW THERE

WAS NO BASIS FOR ACCUSATIONS OF THIS SORT AGAINST THE

U.S., AND WE HAD NO INTEREST IN ENGAGING IN THIS SORT

OF ACTIVITY.



4. BESSMERTNYKH SAID HE WAS NOT AWARE OF THE REPORT

IN QUESTION AND COULD NOT COMMENT IMMEDIATELY ON ITS

ACCURACY; HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT. HOWEVER, SPEAKING

PRELIMINARILY, HE COULD SAY THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN

FACTS OF WHICH BOTH THE U.S. AND USSR HAD TO BE

AWARE. FIRST, MUJAHEDIN WERE INVOLVED IN

CROSS-BORDER ACTIVITY -- THIS WAS IRREFUTABLE.

SECOND, CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF

PAKISTAN (I.E., ISI) WERE ENCOURAGING MUJAHEDIN

ACTIVITY AGAINST SOVIET CENTRAL ASIA. BESSMERTNYKH

DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS ACCORDED WITH THE POLICY OF

THE GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN, BUT NEVERTHELESS IT WAS A

FACT THAT ENCOURAGEMENT WAS BEING PROVIDED.

BESSMERTNYKH ADDED THAT WHILE HE TOOK NOTE OF THE

AMBASSADOR'S STATEMENT THAT ACCUSATIONS OF THIS SORT

AGAINST THE U.S. WERE GROUNDLESS, HE ALSO HOPED THE

U.S. WOULD TRY TO RESTRAIN THOSE FORCES IN THE

PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT THAT WERE BEHIND THIS ACTIVITY.



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