SOVIET HITS EXPULSIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302440013-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: September 26, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/10/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302440013-8
WASHINGTON POST
26 September 1986
Soviet Hits
Expulsions
Top Aide Says U.S.
Is Impeding Summit
? By John M. Gothic?
Washington Post Staff Writer
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25?
U.S. refusal to modify an expulsion
order for 25 members of the Soviet
U.N. mission is as great a threat to
a superpower summit as is the sta-
tus of American reporter Nicholas
Daniloff, a ranking Soviet Foreign
Ministry official said today.
"In your eyes, Daniloff is the ob-
stacle; in our eyes, this order is the
obstacle," Gennadi Gerasimov,
spokesman for Foreign Minister
Eduard Shevardnadze, told report-
ers.
Gerasimov also implied that time
is running out on efforts here by
Shevardnadze and Secretary of
State George P. Shultz to break the
impasse.
Shultz, who is to return to Wash-
ington Friday, plans to be here
again next week. But Gerasimov
noted that Shevardnadze is to de-
part for Ottawa Tuesday and added,
"So there is a sort of a deadline."
Speaking with reporters this eve-
ning, Shultz said he would like to
resolve the situation before
Shevardnadze leaves but does not
think that "it's a good idea to put
yourself up against a deadline de-
pendent on someone's travel sched-
ule."
Shultz said of the expulsion or-
der: "It's something that has been
done, and there it stands. We don't
have any plan to change that."
Later tonight,. Shultz and
Shevardnadze held their third meet-
ing in three days. After the session,
which took place at the U.S. mission
here and lasted about an hour and
45 minutes, State Department
spokesman Bernard Kalb said that
"the Daniloff issue is still not re-
solved." He would not elaborate.
In a move that ameared to
strengthen the administration's de-
mand-for a sharp cutback in the So-
viet mission, the Senate passed by
voice vote Wednesdav an intelli-
gence authorization bill containing
an amendment stioulatinct that the
size of the mission "shall not sub-
stantially exceed" that of the U.S.
mission unless the president deter-
mines otherwise. ?
Sen. Patrickl_Leahv (D-Vt.1 the
Senate intelligence committee vice
cbajrnian who alficansored thp
amendment, said "substantially"
means that the Soviets' missinn
must be "close to" thp c.i7p M the
U.S.mission, "maybe one-third
more."
771-te United States has a 135-
member U.N. mission and has or-
dered that the Soviets reduce theirs
Co 218 by Wednesday and 170 by
April 1988.
? .Gerasimov's comments today
seemed in line with reports that the
Soviet Union has offered to release
Daniloff, apparently without an es-
pionage trial, if the United States
modifies or rescinds the expulsion
order.
? . Repeating the Soviet position
that the United States has no right
to expel U.N.-accredited diplomats
without specific cause, Gerasimov
said, "We are not asking for relief.
We are asking for reconsideration."
"We can proceed with the trial of
Daniloff. We think we have strong
evidence against him," Gerasimov
said. "But we don't want to aggra-
vate our relations."
"There are several bumps on the
road to a summit," he said. "This
road must be smooth because sev-
eral dignitaries are going up that
road. It is not smooth now."
He identified the "bumps" as Dan-
doff' s situation, the status of ac-
cused Soviet spy Gennadi Zakharoy,
awaiting trial in New York City, and
the order for the 25 Soviets to
leave the United Nations by Wed-
nesday.
"If we have not removed this 25-
people case, we are going to have
another obstacle. . . that will be the
Soviet retaliatory measures," Gera-
simov warned. "We are sure we are
going to have some retaliation."
In response to questions about
whether these situations are linked,
he said: "All these cases are sepa-
rate cases." He also said they could
be dealt with "seoaratelv."
He stressed repeatedly that all
"are obstacles standing in the way
of a summit. There are several op-
tions for resolving them, all of them
good. It is up to the Americans to
decide which is better."
Non-Soviet East-bloc sources
have said A Soviet proposal, report-
edly made to Shultz Tuesday, tied
. Daniloffs release without trial to a
U.S. retreat on the expulsion order.
The Soviets also were reported
willing to release several dissidents,
including some Jews, but it was not
clear whether that would occur be-
fore or after Zalcharov's trial.
The West German newspaper
, Bad said today that Daniloff would
be included in an East-West ex-
change of prisoners soon in Berlin.
"I don't know why he must use a
bridge in Berlin," Gerasimov said,
referring to the report.. "If this is
settled, he can take the first flight
home. Pan American comes to Mos-
cow now."
Gerasimov refused to cominent
on what retaliatory steps Moscow
might take if the United States re-
mains unyielding.
Staff writer David 11 Ottaway
contributed to this report.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/10/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302440013-8