Russia's Demand For ‘Clean’ Ocean Bed

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31942, 20 March 1969, Page 15

Russia's Demand For ‘Clean’ Ocean Bed

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

GENEVA, March 19.

Russia s proposal at the Geneva disarmament talks yesterday for a treaty to keep the seabed free from all military installations, will pose some knotty problems for Western disarmament experts, whose first reactions seem to be that the Soviet plan is far too sweeping.

Western delegates to the conference of 17 nations, resumed after a break of seven months, would clearly have preferred Russia to call for an ocean-floor ban on nuclear weapons only.

new American delegate, listed five other points. These included the need fbr an adequately-verified complete ban on nuclear tests; a cut-off in production of fissionable materials for weapons; and the control of chemical and bacteriological weapons.

Mr Nixon’s instructions to Mr Smith stated only that he should seek an international agreement that would prohibit the emplacement or fixing of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction on the seabed. They made no mention of other military installations. Mr Smith told a press conference later: “I am inclined to doubt that we would have very much interest in a regime that would eliminate the possibility of any military use of the seabed, but I am not sure that that is what the intention of the Soviet convention is.

Some European N.A.T.O. defence experts will be unhappy about the Soviet suggestion that the ban should apply outside a 12-mile coastal limit, according to informed sources in Geneva. These experts believe their national security requires that any such ban would apply only beyond the continental shelf, which stretches well beyond 12 miles. The United States delegate to the talks (Mr Gerard Smith) declined to be drawn oh this point after yesterday’s opening session, saying that the 12-mile limit was one of a number of things which would have to be discussed. Despite differences of view on how to tackle the seabed question, Russia and the United States are clearly both keen to discuss it, to show critical non-nuclear nations they are ready to press ahead with new armscontrol measures.

Mr Nixon said the United States delegation should be “guided by the understanding that actual reduction of armaments, and not merely limiting their growth or spread, reasons our goal.” Soviet Plan The Russian draft proposed to ban “the placing on the seabed and the ocean floor objects with weapons of mass destruction and the setting up of military bases and other objects of military nature there.” It added: “All installations and structures on the seabed and the ocean floor, and the subsoil thereof, should be open to inspection on the basis of reciprocity for representatives of other States.”

“My personal hunch is that it would be very difficult to reach agreement in that sort of language. I do not detect any interest by the United States Government in what would be a complete demilitarisation of the ocean floor.” His replies made it clear that America wants to keep open the option of using the seabed for radio-fixing devices and other monitoring equipment. '

The most likely step now seems to be for the United States and its allies to work out a rival draft and for East and West to whittle down the differences between their stands.

Nixon’s Hopes In a message to the conference, President Nixon declared that America’s immediate objective was “to leave behind the era of confrontation and to enter an era of negotiation.” The United Nations Secre-tary-General (U Thant) sent a message appealing to the two super-Powers to begin talks as soon as possible on limiting offensive and defensive missile systems. A message from the Soviet Prime Minister (Mr Alexei Kosygin) made no specific mention of the bilateral talks, but President Nixon expressed the hope that they would start in the near future.

While Mr Nixon put the seabed question at the top of the United States list for the Geneva talks, Mr Kosygin began with a repetition of Russia’s call for a ban on the use of nuclear weapons. The American President’s message, in the form of ■ a letter of instruction to the