No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 1 3 PRIME MINISTER New Delhi December 24 1987 32 44 4 9 Your letter was handed over to me yesterday by Ambassador Dean I thank you for taking me into confidence about your recent discussions with Mr Gorbachev particularly on the nuclear disarmament issue and the Afghanistan problem The agreement you signed with Mr Gorbachev on the elimination of short and medium-range nuclear weapons is truly historical Bold and courageous leadership has made this possible On the eve of the New Year the world can look forward with a new sense of optimism to you continuing the work of freeing it from the threat of atomic extinction We hope the coming year will witness yet another agreement on halving strategic weapons We wish you success in finalising this agreement as all of us have a vital stake in it Nuclear weapons have a global reach transcending regions Nuclear powers present and potential should be involved in a common endeavour to eliminate the nuclear menace and prevent the emergence of new destabilising weapon systems After four decades of nuclear weapons the INF treaty gives us the first glimpse of a non-nuclear world This is the time to expand our thinking to how such a world will maintain peaceful co-existence not by the threat of annihilation No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 but with a positive commitment to friendship and the oneness of humanity We will be giving further thought to this at the forthcoming summit meeting in Stockholm next month of the Six-Nation Five-Continent peace initiative 1 had a meeting in Delhi today with Mr Naiibullah who made a transit halt on his way to Vietnam He appeared appreciative of the results of the Washington summit in regard to Afghanistan He explained that the commitment made by the Soviet Union on the withdrawal of their troops had created conditions for a peaceful settlement of the problem In his view processes should now be set in motion for ensunting that the forthcoming proximity talks in Geneva result in a settlement that can ensure a non aligned and an independent Afghanistan 1 gave him our assessment of the overall situation in Afghanistan and the region indicating that a broad-based government embracing all sections of opinion was needed for stability and orderly political evolution Mr Najibullah and the PDPA are showing greater flexibility in approaching the political issues involved In cooperation with all groups and individuals concerned we are trying to do our best to facilitate the emergence of a stable and representative political order which meets with the aspirations of all sections of the people of Afghanistan We have contacted King Zahlr Shah in Rome and proposed continued discussions with him We have aiso initiated contacts with other groups Within and outside Afghanistan We hope Pakistan and No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 NLC-131-6-5-16-7 - 3 lran will also adopt a constructive approach to help resolve the many critical and sensitive aspects of the Afghanistan problem that will arise in the coming months We look forward to continued close consulta- tion and interaction with the United States in this process 1 deeply appreciate your intervention in correcting the distorted perspective of the proposal which had been put forward by the Senate Appropriations Committee in seeking to link the nuclear programmes of India and Pakistan i am glad that you were able to ensure a return to the direction that had been -set on October 20 in Washington DC We can look forward to further lndo-US co-operation along these lines in 1988 We have made good progress in strengthening our bilateral cooperation to the mutual benefit of our two countries it is a process to which I am firmly committed It is a process to which your personal contribution has been historic 1 would like to thank you for your under- standing and assistance If 3 aka-0 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 NLC-131-6-5-16-7 0 a I 9 ri'm 5 7 I WNW-H The Hon'ble Ronald Reagan I President of the United States of America Washington D C N0 Objection To Deciassi cation 2008 06 09 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