No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 Imnal'fntm 19 3-77 - LcrAnrMEm 0 sure l'PI-lt' 1 - 1 OUTGOING TELEGRAM max 200 PAGE1 I Im- GDEAN LEN CHRON um DRAFTEH new DELHI 9'pos REVIEWED 18-Apr 2007 DEGLASSIFIEEJ IN CHAR - -u and mu- -- E O 12356 DECL OADR TAGS PREL IN AF UR SUBJECT AFGHANISTAN i REFS A STATE 364282 a new DELHI 23503 i 1 ENTIRE TEXT 2 ON TUESDAY DECEMBER 9 FOREIGN SECRETARY VENKATESNARAN CALLED ME IN TO BRIEF ME ON THE DISCUSSIONS ON AFGHANISTAN VENKATESNARAN POINTED OUT THAT THIS SUBJECT HAD BEEN DISCUSSED BY THE TWO LEADERS ALONE NITH ONLY INTERPRETERS PRESENT AND THAT HE HAS NOT PERSONALLY IN ATTENDANCE NONETHELESS HE HAD BEEN BRIEFED ON NHAT TRANSPIRED VENKATESNARAN I SAID THAT THE PRIME MINISTER HAD NOT ASKED HIM T0 BRIEF ME AND HE HAS DOING IT ON HIS ONN INITIATIVE SINCE I HAD PASSED A COPY OF PRESIDENT LETTER TO HIM ON NOVEMBER 23 REF B 3 VENKATESNARAN MADE THE FOLLOWING POINTS -- A IN THE COURSE OF THE DISCUSSION PRIME MINISTER GANDHI CONVEYED THE GIST OF PRESIDENT LETTER TO GORBACHEV CONFIDENTIAL - 's - I 11 1 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 NLC-131-5-6-13-0 Gallon-I Farm 101A 2-17 50191-202 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 NLC-131-5-6-13-0 napna'msm or STATE - - - B THE INDIANS GAINED THE IMPRESSION THAT GORBACHEV 1J1 C-TNTINUATIDH FDHH TO GET OUT OF THE AFGHANISTAN IMBROGLIO BUT PERCEIVED THE U S POSITION AS NOT BEING CONDUCIVE T0 SOVIET GORBACHEV APPARENTLY INDICATED THAT THE SOVIET UNION WOULD BE SATISFIED WITH A AND NON-ALIGNED AFGHANISTAN WHICH WOULD NOT BE UNFRIENDLY TO THE SOVIET THE SOVIET LEADER ALLEGEDLY SAID THAT SECURITY DICTATES THAT SOFT UNDERBELLY NOT BE EXPOSED TO AN UNFRIENDLY SHORT OF THESE CRITERIA THE SOVIET UNION IS PREPARED TO MOVE AN ACCEPTABLE TIMEFRAME WHICH ALSO ASSUMES THE EXISTENCE OF MUTUAL WHEN I ASKED WHAT PRECISELY WAS MEANT BY THE WORD VENKATESWARAN SAID THAT THE SOVIETS APPARENTLY WERE THINKING 0F U S AND RUSSIAN GUARANTEES -- C IN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION OF WHAT TIMEFRAME THE SOVIETS HAD IN MIND FOR THE REMOVAL OF THEIR TROOPS VENKATESWARAN INDICATED THAT THE SOVIETS FELT THAT THE SUGGESTION BY OUR SIDE OF THREE MONTHS WAS UNREALISTIC BUT THAT THE SOVIETS ARE PREPARED TO DISCUSS A MORE REALISTIC TIMEFRAME WHEN I CONTINUED TO PRESS HIM ON SPECIFICS VENKATESWARAN SAID THAT HE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER SUCH DETAILS WERE DISCUSSED BY GORBACHEV AND GANDHI BUT ON THE BASIS OF HIS TALKS IN MOSCOW AND DELHI WITH SENIOR SOVIET OFFICIALS HE THOUGHT TWO YEARS OR EVEN ONE AND A HALF YEARS MIGHT BE AN ACCEPTABLE TIMEFRAME VENKATESWARAN THOUGHT THAT COMING DOWN FROM FOUR YEARS TO THREE AND A HALF YEARS WAS REALLY NOT A MEANINGFUL CONCESSION BY THE SOVIETS HE POINTED OUT HOWEVER THAT THIS WAS MORE HIS OWN IMPRESSION RATHER THAN ANYTHING HE HAD BEEN BRIEFED AS COMING OUT OF THE MEETING -- D GORBACHEV IS A PRACTICAL MAN AND GANDHI WAS IMPRESSED BY WILLINGNESS TO EXPLORE NEW APPROACHES TO OLD PROBLEMS -- E THERE REMAINS A LINGERING INDIAN SUSPICION THAT CERTAIN ELEMENTS IN PAKISTAN REALLY WISH TO SEE AN EARLY POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE AFGHAN PROBLEM BECAUSE IT IS THE VERY EXISTENCE OF THAT PROBLEM WHICH EXPLAINS THE SIZEABLE U S ASSISTANCE TO PAKISTAN I DISABUSED HIM OF THIS FALLACY PAGE If 'i - I N0 Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06f06 NLC-131-5-6-13-0 PIASSIFICJ TIDN DollomIFmImMz-n No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 NLC-131-5-6-13-0 DEPARTMENT OF STATE PAGE 4 I ALSO AVAILED MYSELF OF THIS MEETING TO RAISE OUR CONCERN THAT A PORTION OF THE JOINT STATEMENT OF NOVEMBER 28 APPARENTLY REFERRING TO AFGHANISTAN SEEMS TO IMPLY AN IDENTITY OF INDIAN AND SOVIET VIEHS ON AFGHANISTAN AND TO ABSOLVE THE USSR FROM RESPONSIBILITY I FOR ENDING THE VAR AND MAKING PEACE STATE 374407 I THEN MADE SOME OF THE POINTS SET FORTH IN REFTEL 2 VENKATESHARAN ASSURED ME THAT THE GOI POSITION ON AFGHANISTAN HAD NOT CHANGED AND REMAINS TO 1 NHAT IT NOTE THE CONSISTENT INDIAN POSITION HAS i BEEN TO OPPOSE BOTH FOREIGN INTERVENTION SOVIET TROOPS AND FOREIGN INTERFERENCE U S ARMS AID TO THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS IN AFGHANISTAN Maul-0 CONTINUATION FDRH 4 - u- OJ ahamuca - JN N0 Objection T0 Declassi cation 2008 06 06 1910 2-77 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 NLC-131-5-6-13-0 DEPAHTHENT OF STATE 50191-202 CLASSIFOCAHON - 5 COMMENT IF HE ARE INTERESTED IN ENGAGING THE INDIANS IN THE PROCESS OF FINDING A POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE AFGHAN PROBLEM I SUGGEST THAT THIS BE DISCUSSED HITH VENKATESUARAN WHEN HE VISITS UNDER SECRETARY ARMACOST IN HASHINGTON JANUARY 9 AS FAR AS I CAN SEE THE INDIANS AT THIS POINT HILL NOT DO ANY MORE THAN HHAT THEY HAVE ALREADY DONE WITH THE LETTER CONVEYING THE GIST TO GORBACHEV ANY ADDITIONAL INDIAN INVOLVEMENT NOULD REQUIRE THAT HE FIRST CONVINCE THEM THAT THE U S INTENDS SERIOUSLY TO ENLIST GOOD OFFICES IN A BONA FIDE EFFORT TO OVERCOME REMAINING DIFFERENCES WITH THE SOVIETS AND ACHIEVE A SETTLEMENT WHICH THE GOI HOULD PERCEIVE AS LIKELY TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO MOSCOH AS HELL AS WASHINGTON PAGE iv 1 4 commumauroau 5' I I r II No Objection T'o Declassi cation 2008 06 06 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu