US embassy cable - 90MOSCOW5966

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 05966 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL: OADR 
TAGS:  PREL, AF, PK, UR, US 
SUBJECT: SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN KABUL REPORTEDLY 
ALLEGES U.S. AND PAKISTANI ROLE IN FOMENTING 
REBELLION IN SOVIET CENTRAL ASIA 
 
REF: AP WIRESTORY VV915 R IBT W0095 19-02 00411 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  DURING A FEBRUARY 20 MEETING ON ANOTHER SUBJECT, 
THE AMBASSADOR TOOK UP WITH FIRST DEPUTY FOREIGN 
MINISTER BESSMERTNYKH ALLEGATIONS REPORTEDLY MADE BY 
SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN KABUL BORIS PASTUKHOV THAT THE 
U.S. AND PAKISTAN WERE ASSISTING MUJAHEDIN GROUPS IN 
FOMENTING REBELLION IN SOVIET CENTRAL ASIA.  PASSING 
BESSMERTNYKH AN AP ACCOUNT OF PASTUKHOV'S SUNDAY, 
FEBRUARY 18 PRESS CONFERENCE (REF), THE AMBASSADOR 
NOTED THAT PASTUKHOV HAD REPORTEDLY ACCUSED "THE 
UNITED STATES AND PAKISTAN OF USING MOSLEM 
FUNDAMENTALISTS TO FUNNEL MILITARY AID TO STRIFE-TORN 
SOUTHERN SOVIET REPUBLICS"..."AND HAD CREATED AN 
ORGANIZATION SPECIFICALLY TO FUEL THIS UNREST" (THE 
UNION OF NORTHERN PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN). 
 
3.  THE AMBASSADOR ASKED BESSMERTNYKH TO CLARIFY 
WHETHER PASTUKHOV HAD ACTUALLY SAID THIS.  THIS WAS A 
VERY SERIOUS CHARGE, AND AS BESSMERTNYKH KNEW THERE 
WAS NO BASIS FOR ACCUSATIONS OF THIS SORT AGAINST THE 
U.S., AND WE HAD NO INTEREST IN ENGAGING IN THIS SORT 
OF ACTIVITY. 
 
4.  BESSMERTNYKH SAID HE WAS NOT AWARE OF THE REPORT 
IN QUESTION AND COULD NOT COMMENT IMMEDIATELY ON ITS 
ACCURACY; HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT.  HOWEVER, SPEAKING 
PRELIMINARILY, HE COULD SAY THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN 
FACTS OF WHICH BOTH THE U.S. AND USSR HAD TO BE 
AWARE.  FIRST, MUJAHEDIN WERE INVOLVED IN 
CROSS-BORDER ACTIVITY -- THIS WAS IRREFUTABLE. 
SECOND, CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF 
PAKISTAN (I.E., ISI) WERE ENCOURAGING MUJAHEDIN 
ACTIVITY AGAINST SOVIET CENTRAL ASIA.  BESSMERTNYKH 
DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS ACCORDED WITH THE POLICY OF 
THE GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN, BUT NEVERTHELESS IT WAS A 
FACT THAT ENCOURAGEMENT WAS BEING PROVIDED. 
BESSMERTNYKH ADDED THAT WHILE HE TOOK NOTE OF THE 
AMBASSADOR'S STATEMENT THAT ACCUSATIONS OF THIS SORT 
AGAINST THE U.S. WERE GROUNDLESS, HE ALSO HOPED THE 
U.S. WOULD TRY TO RESTRAIN THOSE FORCES IN THE 
PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT THAT WERE BEHIND THIS ACTIVITY. 
 
MATLOCK 
 
 
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