No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 p05 REVIEWED 19-Apr-2007 DECLASSIFIED IN STATE 46565 The President has asked me to pass on his thanks for your letter of February 8 and the subsequent information provided about Mr Vorontsov's visit AFGHANISTAN - The President very much appreciated your advance notice of the Gorbachev announcement conveyed in your letter - He particularly appreciated your emphasis to the Soviets an acceptable modalities of withdrawal including frontloading - Since the Summit last December there has been a signi- I ficant evolution in the Soviet p031tion on withdrawal - Gorbachev's February 8 statement is a clear step forward and addresses more authoritatively than heretofore many areas of concern such as frontloading a shortened timetable a date certain for withdrawal to commence phasing and monitoring - Hpre than ever before the Soviets seem serious about with- drawing Important questions regarding the foregoing still must be resolved however - Vbrontsov's trip to Islamabad forcused on other issues particularly the issue of interim arrangements leaving to Geneva the resolution of a number of other questions relating to the details of withdrawal - The ministerial talks in Moscow February 21-23 can also contribute to a fuller U S -Soviet understanding and then to a pr dgctive and successful session in Geneva beginning arc - Our bottom line of course remains the same--to effect the complete and irreversible withdrawal of Soviet troops in the shortest time possible and to ensure self-determination for the Afghan people and return of the refugees - The next Geneva round will be the real test of Soviet intentions At a minimum we would expect that the details of all four instruments could be completed - We are hopeful that successful parallel efforts to reach agreement on interim arrangements could facilitate withdrawal the orderly return of the refugees and the subsequent exercise of Afghan self-determination Some progress has been made in this direction as a result of Cordovez' recent consultations between the 0 8 the USSR and Pakistan More progress is obviously needed given the need to ensure the attainment of these objectives which are shared by all those who have voted for the UNGA resolution No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 NLC-131-6-5-18-5 'No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 2- - There is general agreement between the U S the USSR and Pakistan that whatever emerges as an interim or eventual successor government in Afghanistan the process must be the product of the Afghans themselves - For our part we have no plan of our own nor are we able to predict what shape that government may take We are con- vinced as you apparently are that the Najibullah regime cannot hold power without the Soviet Army We share the Soviet interest that post-settlement Afghanistan be indepen- dent neutral and non-aligned We also understand and accept the USSR's perceived need for a neighbor to the south which is not unfriendly We have been urging the Soviets to join us in some sort of an agreement which would help guarantee this outcome - We understand our concern that no Khomeini-like funda- mentalist regime ta as over in Kabul Afghan historical and cultural experience along with the fact of a small Shi'a minority argue strongly against such a development The moderate political orientation of the Afghan resistance as well as its strong ties to conservative Islamic governments and movements should be reassuring The sooner the Soviets withdraw and a new regime with genuine popular support including that of the resistance assumes power in Kabul the Less will be the influence of extremist elements In sum we are encouraged by recent developments and value our bilateral dialogue with you on this as well as other issues Events may move rapidly in coming weeks and we should all remain in the closest touch In this regard India's recent efforts to keep Pakistan informed of its activities are most helpful SRI LANKA - The President appreciates being kept informed on Sri Lanka We have already begun appropriating money for reconstruction work and hope you and the Government of Sri Lanka can restore peace in Sri Lanka as quickly as possible so the aid group s efforts can proceed No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 09 NLC-131-6-5-18-5 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