Soviets Vow to Continue Backing Kabul

Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze on Sunday pledged his country’s continuing support to the embattled Marxist regime in Afghanistan, warning that Moscow is prepared to take “certain actions” in response to stepped-up attacks by rebel forces.

Completing four days of intensive discussions in Kabul with Afghan leaders, including President Najibullah, Shevardnadze reaffirmed Moscow’s intention to withdraw half of its estimated 115,000 troops by Aug. 15 and the balance by Feb. 15.

“The troops are returning home, but friendship and cooperation will remain,” Shevardnadze said, promising increased Soviet economic assistance and other help in developing the country and praising the Kabul government’s commitment to “national reconciliation.”

However, in a joint statement, the Soviet Union and Afghanistan warned that they will respond unless Pakistan halts what they said are “crude violations” of the international agreement providing for Soviet withdrawal from the country.

The statement, reported by the Soviet news agency Tass, said the Soviet Union and Afghanistan will be forced to “define their actions in case the interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan is not ceased,” but it did not say what they might do.

Aid to Rebels

The two countries accused Pakistan of continuing to send arms and equipment into Afghanistan to assist the rebel moujahedeen and of failing to dismantle guerrilla camps on its territory in violation of the agreement, signed in Geneva last April by Afghanistan and Pakistan and guaranteed by the Soviet Union and the United States.

“The obstructionist line of the Pakistani authorities, if it continues further, may lead to the loss by the Geneva peace process of its positive essence when one of the main parties to the Geneva accords does not observe their main provisions,” the two countries’ statement warned.

“This situation cannot but make the Soviet Union and Afghanistan draw the necessary conclusions and determine their actions if an end is not put to interference in Afghanistan’s affairs.”

The two countries called on the United States to pressure Pakistan to abide by the agreement. Washington has been a principal supplier of arms and funds to the Afghan rebels as well as to Pakistan.

The statement reaffirmed, as did Shevardnadze in further comments, that the withdrawal of Soviet troops is proceeding on schedule and that the first stage, a 50% pullout, will be completed by mid-August.

“In a few days, our divisions no longer will be in 25 Afghan provinces,” Shevardnadze told the official Afghan news agency Bakhtar in an interview released here. “We don’t have any doubts that the withdrawal will be completed in the intended term.”

Soviet troops have left Kandahar, in the south, Tass reported, and there are now no Soviet troops in the southern part of the country. The first Soviet units will leave Kabul this week, it added.

Shevardnadze’s statement also implied that all Soviet soldiers will be out of the country by Feb. 15, the date set by the Geneva accords, but he made no explicit commitment on this.

The Soviet Union had said earlier, however, that it reserved the right to change the schedule of its troop pullout if what it calls outside interference continues in Afghanistan.