President tells sceptical Congress pact will work

Press, 25 January 1979, Page 8

President tells sceptical Congress pact will work

NZPA-Reuter.. Washington President Jimmy Carter has said that a new strategic arms limitation, agreement with the Soviet Union would serve the cause of peace, but he had pledged he would not sign it unless it preserved America’s overwhelming nuclear strength. In his annual State of the! Union address to a joint session of Congress, Mr Carter! made a strong appeal fori support in negotiations fori the agreement to limit! strategic arms. In an effort to overcome the opposition of powerful [senators to the proposed IS.A.L.T. pact, President Cariter said: “I will sign no [agreement which does not [enhance our national sectlr-i ity. “S.A.L.T. II will not rely on trust. It will be veri- j fiable. We have very sophisticated proven means — including our satellites — to determine for ourselves whether the Soviet Union is meeting its treaty obligations.’’ The problem of veri-. fication has been raised by [ S.A.L.T. opponents, especial-; ly in view’ of the threatened!

il loss of secret American i installations in Iran due to rjthe political upheaval there. :[ "The American nuclear deLiterrent will remain strong 11 after S.A.L.T. II,” the Presitident said. t! “For example, just one of l|our relatively invulnerable .Poseidon submarines — less [than 2 per cent of our total ! [nuclear force of submarines, -[aircraft, and land based mis■lsiles — carries enough war- •[ heads to destroy every large '[and medium-sized city in the ; I Soviet Union. i “Our deterrent is over- . whelming, and I will sign no agreement unless our deterI rent force will remain over- . whelming.” , Despite sudden complications in December, the [President predicted conclusion of S.A.L.T. II if the [Soviet Union continued to; [negotiate in good faith. Final agreement on S.A.L.T. was delayed when, the Soviet Foreign Minister [ (Mr Andrei Gromyko) in- 1 troduced reservations in talks he held with the; American Secretary of State: i (Mr Cyrus Vance) in Geneva [ [on December 23. [ The new problems also de-1 i layed a visit this by i

11 the Soviet President (Mr > [Leonid Brezhnev) and President Carter said last week -I he believed the problem ;[ stemmed from Moscow’s -[suspicions over the opening [of normal Sino-American reflations. ' President Carter said that ’[the purposes of S.A.L.T. II 1 [ were not to gain a unilateral • (advantage, but to protect the ’[security of the Soviet Union [and the United States and to ; [ demonstrate that both' coun- ' i tries wanted world peace. I “In this year, 1979, nothing is more important than .[that the Congress and the people of the United States resolve to continue with me on the path of nuclear arms control and peace,” the President said. ■ Referring to the normali- , [sation of relations with! ) China, the President said: i[“We are entering a hopeful i! era in our relations with one [fourth of the world’s people [who live in China. The visit of Vice-Premier Deng Xiao[ping (Teng Hsiao-Ping) will, [help to inaugurate that new[ •era.” I He also pledged again to ["continue our commitment,

rlto a prosperous, peaceful, -[and secure life for the; ;; people of Taiwan.” i The President said the! >jUnited States was building; ;; the foundation for truly! - global co-operation — not! | only with Western and; [[industrial pations, but with; lithe developing countries as 1 Iwell. r The President defended his. i|$US53l.6 billion Budget for! )11980 as a necessary measure; ■I of austerity reflecting his [ ; determination to bring in- . I flation under control. U Mr Carter called on Ameri-[ t cans to improve their > society by rejecting extreme : methods and seeking bal- ; anced answers. i “We cannot resort to sim[plistic or extreme solutions [which substitute myths for [common sense,” he said. : [ “On our economy, it is a I [myth that we must choose endlessly between inflation! > and recession . . . “In our relations with our [I ■potential adversaries, it is a l I [myth that we must choose I ■ I between confrontation and I 'capitulation. Together, we I build the foundation for a l ' stable world of both adver- I Jsity and peace."