Vance and Gromyko move closer to new S.A.L.T. pact

Press, 15 July 1978, Page 9

Vance and Gromyko move closer to new S.A.L.T. pact

NZPA-Reuter Bonn 1 he Soviet Union and the United States, in spite of outspoken disagreement on human-rights issues, have exchanged new proposals on overcoming the last hurdles to a new strategic-arms limitation agreement.

Che United States Secre-i tary of State (Mr Cyrus Vance) flew to Bonn from! Geneva on Thursday night, where he had two days of' talks with the Soviet For-i eign Minister (Mr Andrei i Gromyko) on strategic arms, interspersed with some blunt I words on human rights. - he general atmosphere was chilled by the trials ini the Soviet Union o< the I h u m a n-rights activists,; Anatoly Shcharansky. Alex-, ander Ginzburg, and Vik-' toras Petkus. Mr Vance delivered a personal message of concern i from President Carter and I < ded the talks by a long; meeting with the wife of Mr Shcharansky, delaying his ” partlire by nearly two ( hours. In the S.A.L.T. dis-i cissiori', both sides ex-1 changed what they said were

i new ideas which provided a I basis for further narrowing the differences on an arms jaccord. They agreed to stay in contact and to meet again for what would be the seventh round since February, 11977, no later than next September. Both agreed they wanted relation!, to improve, but they said differences remained after the talks — a reference to the human-rights issue. After years of negotia[tions. the issues have been j narrowed to two: the Soviet bomber and restricItions on new types of missiles The focus in Geneva was on the latter issue, United States officials said. Under discussion was a proposed new American multiple-warhead mobile

missile — the MX — and the single-warhead Soviet equivalent, now known as the successor to the SS-11. The United States wants to preserve the option to deploy the MX in the early 1980 s, but the Soviet side has proposed that no new missiles of any type be introduced until the treaty expires in 1985. I The new ideas exchanged [in Geneva dealt with two [basic questions: when new ! missile systems could be i tested and when they might jbe deployed. United States I sources said. Both sides said !it was necessary to consult ■ their Governments. i Mr Gromyko told report[e r s: “To consider the new [ideas expressed here requires the sun to rise more .than twice . . . decisions are not taken with the suddenness of a cloudburst.”