Test-ban talks again

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 8

Test-ban talks again

I NZPA-Reuter Geneva | The three biggest nuclear, Powers — Britain, the j United States, and the: Soviet Union — will begin a I second round of talks in! Geneva today to seek agree-! ment on banning all testing, of nuclear arms. Delegates from the three | countries will meet at the British mission to continue 1 discussions they held for’ two weeks last July. In what appeared to be a! Soviet policy shift, the ! Soviet Foreign Minister (Mr Andrei Gromyko) told the United Nations General; i Assembly last week that the; i Soviet Union would tempo-i rarily suspend underground: nuclear tests without waiting for France and China to I do the same. These are the other twoi countries in the world which 1

I are known to have nuclear 'weapons, but neither has the 1963 treaty; nor 'does either take part in the :i Geneva disarmament conferlence. II Britain, the United States, ■land, the Soviet Union would ; ■ like the other two to sign ■ any comprehensive test-ban : I treaty. :■ Until Mr Gromyko’s ii statement, Moscow’s stance had been that such a treaty. I would only come into force, i when ratified by all nuclear-! ii weapons Powers, including, ■ France and China. i Diplomatic observers in I, Geneva said the Russians, snow appeared to feel it was, •ibetter to prepare a treaty, 1) with the Americans and! British in the hope of con,'vincing France and China I later. > The latest round, with i'meetings two or three times

a week alternatively in each of the countries’ missions, is likely to last three or four weeks. The negotiators hope to break a 14-year deadlock on extending the existing nuclear test-ban treaty to cover underground blasts. The 1963 treaty covers only tests in the atmosphere, space and underwater. Britain, the United States, I and the Soviet Union drew lup the text of the 1963 treaty which was then for- ; mally agreed by the 30nation Geneva disarmament I conference. i They decided to go iti alone this time, but will; present any draft agreement !>to the conference since it is ithe official international; ; forum charged by the United ! Nations with working out a i 1 comprehensive test-ban I treaty.