Soviets Cite Aid to Afghan Rebels, May Slow Pullout

The Soviet Union indicated Saturday that it might change the scheduled withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan if Pakistan keeps aiding the Afghan guerrillas, and it accused Washington of fueling the war with “lavish supplies” to the guerrillas.

A Foreign Ministry statement the day before President Reagan’s arrival in Moscow for his fourth summit with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev was a sign that Afghanistan could become a sore point in their five-day meeting.

The Soviets said that if Pakistan does not halt “interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan,” they would “draw pertinent conclusions with respect to the timetable of the troop withdrawal and take concrete steps.”

“The bellicose mood of the Pakistani leadership is backed up by the lavish supplies of U.S. arms to Pakistan, intended specifically for the anti-government Afghan forces, . . .” said the statement, which was carried by the Tass news agency.

The Geneva accords on Afghanistan signed April 14 provided for the withdrawal of all Soviet troops within nine months beginning May 15, for the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland and for non-interference in the affairs of Afghanistan.

But the accords did not include a cease-fire in the Afghan conflict, and the guerrillas vowed to fight on until all Soviet troops leave and there is a non-Communist government in Kabul. The United States said it will continue supplying weapons to the rebels as long as the Soviets supply the Kabul regime.

The United States has been supplying Afghan rebels with an estimated $500 million annually in arms and other military supplies channeled through Pakistan.

The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops May 15, and the Soviet commander in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov, told reporters in Kabul that the departing Soviets would leave behind about $1 billion worth of equipment and supplies for Afghan forces.