SYND 24/02/80 BREZHNEV SPEECH ON RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN

(22 Feb 1980) The Soviet President, Leonid Brezhnev, has said he wants an international guarantee of non-interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs before the withdrawal of Russian troops. Brezhnev, says the United States has gone into hysterics on a global scale over Afghanistan -- and is turning the Indian Ocean into "a power keg." Brezhnev made his allegations in a speech to voters in the Kremlin's palace of congresses as part of the elections for the Supreme Soviet (mr brezhnev is a candidate). He accused America of using Afghanistan as "a pretext to broaden its expansion in Asia." The United States was demanding the withdrawal of Soviet forces but in fact was doing everything to put off that possibility, mr Brezhnev went on. "i want to state very definitely," he said, "that we will be ready to commence the withdrawal of our troops as soon as all forms of outside interference directed against the government and people of afghanistan cease to exist." Western diplomats are divided on their interpretation of the Russian leader's remarks. Some dismiss it as representing no shift in the Kremlin's line on Afghanistan -- that the Russians went in to stop outside interference but others think it might indicate that Moscow is seeking a way of cutting its losses and extricating itself from Afghanistan

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