Soviet Union Agrees to Withdraw Troops From Hungary by Mid-’91

The Soviet Union reached agreement with Hungary on Friday to withdraw all its troops from Hungary by the middle of 1991, after having them there “temporarily” since the end of World War II, the Hungarian MTI news agency said.

In a report from Moscow, it said withdrawal of the 50,000 troops will begin next Monday and be finished by June 30, 1991.

The agreement was initialed in Moscow on Friday by senior Soviet and Hungarian officials and will be signed in the Soviet capital today by Foreign Ministers Eduard A. Shevardnadze and Gyula Horn, the agency said.

Moscow’s accord with Hungary follows a similar agreement with Czechoslovakia that also sets a deadline of June, 1991.

Talks on the troop withdrawal broke down in Budapest last week when the Soviet delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Aboimov insisted the pullout could not be completed until the end of August, 1991.

A Hungarian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Ferenc Somogyi had gone to Moscow on Friday to resolve remaining issues after senior officials in Budapest said they were confident the accord could be signed today as scheduled.

“No Soviet soldiers or Soviet property will remain in Hungary after the date set down, and real estate will also be handed back,” MTI quoted Somogyi as telling Hungarian reporters in Moscow after he initialed the accord with Aboimov.

Soviet troops began a partial withdrawal in 1989.