n078  1635  23 Apr 83
AM-ANDROPOV
Compares Afghan Actions to U.S. in Central America
By JOHN TAGLIABUE
c. 1983 N.Y. Times News Service
    BONN, West Germany - Yuri V. Andropov, in an interview with the West
German news magazine Der Spiegel, contends that the Soviet military
presence in Afghanistan is analogous to what he termed United States
efforts to protect its national interests in Central America.
    Andropov asked: ''Would the United States not care what kind of
government rules in Nicaragua? Nicaragua is an enormous distance from
America. We have a common border with Afghanistan, and we are
defending our national interests by helping Afghanistan.''
    Repeating the Soviet view that the West sought to use Pakistan to
topple Afghanistan's Communist regime, he said Pakistan was ''held by
the elbows, from somewhere across the sea.''
    The Soviet leader, who was interviewed in Moscow by Rudolf Augstein,
the magazine's publisher, said it was ''not our intention to stay in
Afghanistan.'' He added, ''Political talks are under way.''
    But he said that ''with the help of the United Nations and its
secretary general, Perez De Cuellar, we believe we can achieve
success on some reasonable basis.''
    The interview, which is to be published Monday, ranged from
international politics to Andropov's tastes in music. Andropov also
repeated his warning that Moscow would ''find a way to answer'' if
the United States stationed additional medium-range missiles in
Europe.
    Asked whether fruitful arms talks could occur in a climate in which
President Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as a ''center of
evil,'' Andropov said Moscow would overlook ''this baseless claim''
if Washington accepted ''reasonable proposals about detente as such,
or about Europe or the SS-20 missiles.''
    Questioned about the recent expulsion of Soviet diplomats from
France on charges of espionage, he said the diplomats were engaged in
legitimate information gathering ''condoned by international
diplomatic conventions.'' He said the French action was
''intentionally aimed at worsening Soviet-French relations.''
    In a statement issued in answer to questions submitted before the
conversation, Andropov accused the United States of not negotiating
seriously at the Geneva arms talks.
    
nyt-04-23-83 1933est
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