Soviets Want Kabul Coalition, Aide Says
A Soviet official conceded on Thursday that Moscow had made a mistake in believing the Kabul government could gain control of Afghanistan.
Yevgeny M. Primakov said the Kremlin, whose forces have backed the Kabul regime since 1979, now wants a coalition Afghan government composed of all factions including the ruling People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan.
He said the United States and Pakistan are repeating the Soviet Union’s mistake by supporting only one side in the conflict--the Afghan guerrillas fighting Kabul.
“Our mistake was thinking this government can control the situation around the country,” said Primakov, a member of the Communist Party Central Committee.
“We were mistaken in these ideas, and we have taken up a firm line in upholding national reconciliation in Afghanistan, which means setting up a coalition government.”
Primakov spoke to journalists the day before Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev was due to arrive for his second visit to New Delhi.
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