INCOMI NB Department of State PAGE 92 OF 96 MOSCOW 99216 99 OF 92 9911282 913 24 993197 N09523 ACTION NODS-99 INFO LOG-99 ADS-99 999 175117 9911322 22 21 9919522 APR 88 ZFF4 FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW TO SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 1911 MOSCOW 99216 NODIS E O 12356 DECL OAOR TAGS PRELQ US UR AF PK PARM SUBJECT SHEVARONAOZE LETTER ON AFGHANISTAN APRIL 9 1 TEXTI SUMMARY 2 AMBASSADOR MET WITH DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER ALEKSANDR AT THE REOUEST ON APRIL 9 TO RECEIVE TEXT OF SHEVARDNADZE LETTER TO SECRETARY SHULTZ ON AFGHANISTAN EMBASSY TRANSLATION OF TEXT FOLLOWS PARA 6 BELOW ALSO SUGGESTED THAT SHEVARDNADZE HOPED TO MEET WITH THE SECRETARY AT GENEVA TO DISCUSS THE AGENDA OF NST OUESTIONS TO BE AODRESSED AT THE MOSCOW MINISTERIAL END SUMMARY 3 AMBASSADOR MET WITH DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER ALEKSAMDR AT THE LATTER REOUEST ON APRIL 9 TO RECEIVE TEXT OF SHEVARDNADZB LETTER TO QWLUMH 3f9C w6 e Q- 12 f yf g SECRET I NCOMI NG Department of State PAGE BS OF DE MOSCOW 99216 DB OF 92 9911282 NOD523 SECRETARY SHULTZ ON AFGHANISTAN TAKING NOTE OF THE MARCH SB LETTER AND THE ORAL MESSAGE PASSED BY THE AMBASSADOR ON APRIL 8 SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THE U S WOULD FIND THE LETTER TO SECRETARY SHULTZ SATISFACTORY HE ADDED THAT HE WANTED TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH OF THE LETTER WHICH NOTED THAT THE SOVIET UNION WOULD CONDUCT ITSELF ON THE BASIS OF THE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING REACHED DURING THE MARCH MINISTERIAL MBETING IN WASHINGTON 4 READ FROM THE TEXT NOTING THAT THE SIGNING IN GENEVA WOULD MARK THE END OF ONE PROCESS AND THE BEGINNING OF -- THE WASHINGTON TALKS HAD HELPED WORK OUT THIS -- THE SOLUTION OF THB PROBLEM OF AFGHANISTAN COULD SERVE AS POSITIVE EXAMPLE FOR THE RESOLUTION OF OTHER REGIONAL CONFLICTS 5 SAID THAT AS HE UNDERSTOOD IT ALL PARTIES WOULD BE FREE TO MAKE STATEMENTS AT THE TIME OF THE SIGNING HE ASKED HOW THE U S WOULD CHARACTERIZE THE AGREEMENT THE AMBASSADOR REPLIED THAT ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT HAVE ANY INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS POINT HE ASSUMED THE U S WOULD SAY THAT OUR UNDERSTANDING WAS ALONG THE LINES INDICATED IN THE LETTER AND THE ORAL MESSAGE PASSED TO ON APRIL 6 FOLLOWING IS EMBASSY TRANSLATION OF TEXT OF LETTER I NEDMI NG Department of State PAGE B4 OF B6 MOSCOW 99216 BB OF DZ 9911282 B93197 NOD523 DEAR MR SECRETARY -- IN RESPONSE TO YOUR LETTER OF MARCH 31 WHICH WAS CONSIDERED POSITIVELY I WANT TO NOTE WITH SATISFACTION THAT THE LONG AND OUITE COMPLEX NEGOTIATIONS ON THE SETTLEMENT OF THE SITUATION AROUND AFGHANISTAN HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED AND THAT THE CORRESPONDING MUTALLY ACCEPTABLE AGREEMENTS HAVE BECOME AT LAST AN ACCOMPLISHED FACT OBVIOUSLY IT IS NOT AN OVERSTATEMENT TO SAY THAT EFFORTS OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR TWO COUNTRIES FACILITATED THIS GOAL IN A CERTAIN MEASURE -- NOW THAT IN GENEVA IT HAS BEEN POSSIBLE TO AGREE ON THE LAST UNRESOLVED OUESTIONS AND AFTER WE HAVE CONDUCTED THE NECESSARY CONSULTATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF AFGHANISTAN WE CAN AFFIRM WITH YOU OUR MUTUAL READINESS TO BECOME GUARANTORS OF THE AGREEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKED OUT AND SIGN THE CORRESPONDING DOCUMENTS IT SEEMS TO US THAT WE COULD DO THIS ON APRIL 14 IN GENEVA IH THIS CASE AS IS NOTED IN THE JOINT SBVIET- AFGHAN STATEMENT THE UNDERSTANDING THAT SOVIET FORCES WILL BE WITHDRAWN IN THE PERIOD ESTABLISHED BY THE GENEVA AGREEMENTS BEGINNING ON MAY 15 WILL REMAIN IN FORCE I THINK YOU WILL AGREE THAT SIGNING THE AGREEMENTS IS WHILE VERY IMPORTANT ONLY JUST A BEGINNING NOW IT IS NECESSARY TO BEGIM THEIR REALIZATION THE SOVIET UNION INTENDS TO STRICTLY ADHERE TO THE OBLIGATIONS WHICH ARE CLEARLY FORMULATED IN THE COMPLETED DOCUMENTS AND EXPECTS THE SAME FROM THE AMERICAN SIDE THAT IS TO ACT IN THE MANNER SET OUT IN THE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING SSEEREF INCDMI NG Department of State PAGE BS OF DE MOSCOW B9216 BB OF B2 9911282 B93197 NOD523 ACHIEVED BY US IN WASHINGTON THE CONSTRUCTIVE MUTUAL ACTIONS OF OUR TWO COUNTRIES IN THIS OUESTION WOULD SERVE AS A GOOD AND HOPEFUL EXAMPLE FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF OTHER REGIONAL CONFLICTS WITH RESPECT E SHEVARDNADZE END TEXP 7 NOTED THAT THE SOVIETS UNOERSTOOD THE SECRETARY WAS PREPARED TO TRAVEL TO GENEVA TO SIGN THE GUARANTEES INSTRUMENT AND AGREEMENT HAD BEEN REACHED ON AN APRIL 14 DATE FOR SIGNATURE THE FOREIGN MINISTER HOPED THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A SEPARATE MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY TO DISCUSS THE MOSCOW MINISTERIAL SPEAKING PERSONALLY AND NOTING THAT THE MINISTER MIGHT HAVE OTHER IDEAS AS WELL SAID HE BELIEVED FIVE OUESTIONS RELATED TO NST SHOULD BE DISCUSSED PRINCIPLES OP AGREEMENT IN THE ABM -- SEA-LAUNCHED CRUISE MISSILES INCLUDING THE COMPLEX OF VERIFICATION MEASURES REGARDING SUCH SYSTEMS -- AIR-LAUNCHED CRUISE MISSILES WHICH HE SAID PDSED OUITE A LOT OF VERIFICATION AND DATA EXCHANGE 8 AMBASSADOR RAISED QUESTION OF MOBILE ICBMS AGREED MOBILES WERE A PROBLEM BUT THIS OUESTIONS WAS MORE EASILY RESOLVED THAM THE FIVE ISSUES HE HAD ENUMERATED THE PROBLEMS HE HAD LISTED I NGOMI NG Department of State PAGE DE OF DE MOSCOW 99216 BB OF 92 9911282 993197 NODSZS WOULD REOUIRE MORE EFFORT AMBASSADOR SAID HE WAS NOT SURE THAT MOBILE ICBMS WOULD BE AN EASY ISSUE TO RESOLVE SAID THAT THE MINISTERS SHOULD NOT NECESSARILY GET INTO THE SUBSTANCE OF THESE OUESTION BUT RATHER SET OUT THOSE AREAS WHICH WOULD REOUIRE SPECIAL ATTENTION BETWEEN NOW AND THE MINISTERIAL THIS WOULD PREVENT THE TWO SIDES FROM PREPARING TWO DIFFERENT AGENDAS AMBASSADOR UNDERTOOK TO REPORT DESIRE FOR A SEPARATE MEETING AND COMMENTS TO WASHINGTON 9 NOTED THAT SHEVARDNADZE WOULD ARRIVE IN GENEVA ON THE EVENING OF WEDNESDAY APRIL 13 AND WOULD BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES AS WELL AS ATTEND THE SIGNING CEREMONY ON APRIL 14 ID DEPARTMENT MAY WISH TO PASS ISLAMABAD KABUL USMISSION GENEVA FOR PECK AND USDEL NST MATLOCH 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