3. THE ONLY SOUR NOTE, OCCASIONALLY APPARENT IN LOCAL PRESS
COMMENT AND MORE OFTEN IN CONVERSATON, IS THE ACCUSATIONAGAINST THE WEST OF INDULGING IN DOUBLE STANDARDS WITH ITS OUTSPOKEN CONDEMNATUON OF THE SOVIET OCCUPIERS OF AFGHANISTAN COMPARED WITH ITS REFUSAL TO CONDEMN THE ( AN ARAB EYES) EQUALLY OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOUR OF THE ISRAELI OCCUPIERS OF THE ARAB TERRITORIES.THE STRENGTH OF THIS VIEW OF COURSE TENDS TO VARY WITH THE CLOSENESS OF ONE'S INTERLOCUTORS TO THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE: AND ONEHAS TO REMEMBER THAT THE MEDIA WORLD HERE IS VERY MUCH DOMINATED BYTHAT PARTICULAR NATIONALITY.
4. SINCE DRAFTING THE FORE GOING, I HAVE SEEN THE PRESS CUTTING FROM
THE KHALEEJ TIMES' OF 5 JANUARY (WHICH WE HAVE JUST COPIEDTO YOU) REPORTING THE EXISTENCE IN ABU DHABI OF A UNITED ISLAMICAFGHAN MUJAHIDEEN OFFICE WHOSE HEAD, KHAN MOHAMMAD AHMED JAN, ASSAID TO HAVE ONLY NOW DECIDED TO REVEAL THE EXISTENCE OF HISOFFICE ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN HERE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR ( THOUGHCANNOT HELP FEELING THAT THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES MAY HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE DECISION TOO). AS YOU WILL SEE FROM THECUTTING, KHAN MOHAMMAD MAKES SOME QUITE INTERESTING REMARKS, SUCHAS THE ESTIMATE OF THE REAL NUMBER OF SOVIET TROOPS IN AFGHANISTANAS 200,000, AND THE SEVERE CRITICISM OF SOME OF THE MUSLIM PRESSFOR INACCURATE REPORTING ON AFGHANISTAN, ACCOMPANIED BY ROBUSTDEN HALS ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF ARMS RECEIVED BY THE MUJAHIDEENFROM THE US.
SIGNED....MG HOGGER
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