1 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 9 light-2n ml I'll 1-77 I - 5 NIGHT OF STATE 15 H-102 OUTGOING TELEGRMRI 2200- 1 03 20 88 ION 303 REVIEWED 19-Agr 2ooz DECLASSIFIED IN I I SECSTATE HASHDC PRIORITY INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD AMEMBASSY KABUL CHAT-TH EXDIS E 0 12356 DECL OADR TAGS PREL IN AF SUBJECT MEETING HITH GOPI ARORAI JUNE 18 AFGHANISTAN 1 - ENTIRE TEXT 2 ON JUNE 18 GOPI ARORA THE GREY EMINENCE OF THE GANDHI GOVERNMENT CAME TO MY HOUSE WHERE WE DISCUSSED AFGHANISTAN ARORA HAD JUST RETURNED FROM MOSCOW HHERE HE HAD MET WITH DOBRYNIN DURING NHICH AFGHANISTAN HAS ALSO DISCUSSED 3 FOLLOUING ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF VIERS -- A GORBACHEV REMAINS COMMITTED T0 COMPLETE TROOP v NITHDRAUAL FROM AFGHANISTAN ACCORDING TO THE TIMETABLE THE RUSSIANS HAD MADE PUBLIC I9 I dI- w n-i ww u- B THE SOVIETS DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THEIR TROOPS HILL BE SUBJECT TO UNDUE HARASSMENT AS THEY UITHDRAN IF ATTACKED SOVIETS HILL REPOSTE VIGOROUSLY -- C THE PDPA IS NOT THE PUSHOVER THE MUJAHIDIN HAD CLAIMED THEY WOULD BE ONCE SOVIETS START NITHDRANING PDPA HILL LOSE SOME PROVINCIAL CAPITALS OVER NEXT FEH MONTHS BUT SO FAR THE PESHAHAR RESISTANCE GROUP HAS NOT SUCCEEDED IN CREATING AN IRREVERSIBLE 5 MOOD THE PDPA WOULD CRUMBLE BY THE LATE SUMMER No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 NLC-131-6-1-12-5 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 Irll NAJIBULLAH MAY AT ONE POINT GECOME DISPENSAELE LESPECIALLY IF HIS ABSENCE FROM THE POLITICAL SCENE ECOULD LEAD TO AN APGHAN GOVERNMENT HHICH ERINGS TOGETHER TECHNOCRATS MODERATE EXILES CERTAIN AND CERTAIN ACCEPTABLE MEMBERS OF THE PDPA A TRANSITION GOVERNMENT -- E THE INDIANS FEEL THAT THEY ARE NOT SUPPORTING NAJIBULLAH PER SE BUT RATHER HHAT HE IS TRYING TO DO I E BRING ABOUT A SOLUTION IN AFGHANISTAN WHICH KEEPS EXTREME FUNDAMENTALISTS OUT OF KABUL P rt- l' F ARORA ASKED HHETHER THE U S HAD REALLY EVALUATED VHETAER mm TO INTERESTS IN AFGHANISTAN ARORA THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE USEFUL FOR AMERICANS T0 GATHER THEIR INFORMATION ON AFGHANISTAN FROM AS MANY DIVERSE SOURCES AS POSSIBLE AND NOT RELY EXCLUSIVELY 0N VERSION OF HHAT IS GOING ON -- 6 THE INDIANS ARE INTERESTED IN COOPERATING HITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN AND PERHAPS ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE FOR AFGHANISTAN GANDHI MET HITH SADARUDDIN KHAN HHILE IN NEH YORK THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ITEMS AFGHANS HILL NEED HHICH ARE READILY r AVAILABLE IN INDIA SUCH AS HAND TOOLS TIN ROOFING TENTING MEDICINE SEEDS ETC THE INDIANS HILL CONTINUE I PURSUE THIS MATTER HITH SADARUDDIN KHAN AND HIS STAFF -- H THE INDIANS ARE LIKE THE REST OF THE UNSURE OF UHAT THE FUTURE HILL BRING IN AFGHANISTAN HOWEVER THEY THINK THE ANSHER LIES MORE NITH THE FIELD COMMANDERS INSIDE AFGHANISTAN RATHER THAN NITH THE PESHAHAR RESISTANCE LEADERS THEY ARE ALSO ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED THAT GOREACHEV HILL NITHDRAH SOVIET TROOPS -COMPLETELY AND PRETTY MUCH ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED PUBLICLYFINALLY DENOUEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN MAY BE SLOHER THAN PREDICTED BY THE PESHAHAR RESISTANCE GROUP L'Iilimhlri 27 5 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 NLC-131-6-1-12-5 00-- No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 NLC-131-6-1-12-5 I 35 47 a STAL 5 4 I THANKED GOPI ARORA FOR HIS ANO EXPRESSED HOPE THAT HE COULD REMAIN IN ToucH ON THIS SUBJECT MY RETURN PROM LEAVE I ALSO SHARED NITH HIM OUR ASSESSMENT THAT HE THINK SOVIETS REMAIN To LEAVE AFGHANISTAN AS QUICKLY ANO PAINLESSLY AS POSSIBLE STATE 192534 ON THE OTHER HANO I STRESSED NO ROLE FOR NAJIBULLAH NON OR LATER a 5 KABUL MINIMIZE CONSIDERED I i No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 06 06 NLC-131-6-1-12-5 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