Conference turris::scandia

195.0. "Have Soviets blunted Swedish Afgan war protests" by TLE::SAVAGE (Neil, @Spit Brook) Mon Mar 23 1987 09:16

Associated Press Sat 21-MAR-1987 12:57                     Sweden-Afghanistan

                Drop in Support for Afghanistan Demonstration
    
    STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Far fewer people took part Saturday in an
    annual demonstration against the Soviet Union's military presence in
    Afghanistan as compared with last year, organizers said. "The Russians
    have succeeded partly in spreading the illusion that the war in
    Afghanistan is coming to an end," said Jan Stolpe, vice chairman of
    Sweden's Afghan Committee. 
    
    Organizers said from 2,000 to 3,000 people, including Foreign Minister
    Sten Andersson, demonstrated in Stockholm to demand that Moscow
    withdraw its troops from the Central Asian country. Police put the
    number of protesters at 1,500. Last year between 8,000 and 10,000 took
    part in the protest. 
    
    Andersson, a Social Democrat, in his speech compared the Soviet
    presence in Afghanistan to what he called human rights violations in
    South Africa and earlier in Vietnam, when the United States was
    fighting there. 
    
    Gunilla Abrandt, a member of the organizing committee, said
    participation was low because "Swedish press is focusing reports on the
    `glasnost' (openness) campaign in the Soviet Union and does not want to
    see Afghanistan." 
    
    Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan at the end of 1979 to support a
    pro-Moscow communist government in Kabul. An estimated 115,000 Soviet
    troops are helping the Afghan government fight Islamic, anti-Marxist
    guerillas.