News In Brief

Partial pullout planned by Viets in Kampuchea

Vietnam is planning to announce a partial withdrawal of troops from Kampuchea in the next few days, Monitor contributor Paul Quinn-Judge reports. The actual withdrawal will take place before the end of the month, reliable sources here say.

Until now, the Vietnamese had stressed privately that they would organize another partial withdrawal this year - the third in succession - but had indicated it would not take place before the end of July.

The early withdrawal is probably intended as a sign that Hanoi is unconcerned about the state of security in Kampuchea. There had been earlier indications that security had in fact declined this year, with the anti-Vietnamese coalition government of democratic Kampuchea increasing in activity and mobility inside the country.