The World - News from April 21, 1988

A private American delegation held talks in Kabul with the Soviet-backed Afghan regime and stressed that there is little possibility of obtaining U.S. recognition and aid until a new government including the Afghan resistance is formed. The 12-member group, led by Robert E. White, former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, attended a three-day conference in the Afghan capital along with Afghan and Soviet delegates. Afghan officials proposed a tripartite U.S.-Soviet-Afghan commission to study rehabilitation and reconstruction, but White and other Americans said it is unlikely that even private American groups will participate while the legitimacy of the Kabul government is in dispute.