West will update arms despite Soviet proposal

Press, 11 October 1979, Page 8

West will update arms despite Soviet proposal

NZPA-Retiter Washington The United States. Britain, and West Germany, the three leading North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Powers, have announced their intention to modernise nuclear arms in Europe despite a Sox ict proposal that both sides limit such weapons.

President Jimmy Carter -yesterday joined British and I West German Ministers in (saying N.A.T.O. should press 'ahead with plans to deploy, medium-range missiles cap-; ; able of striking the Soviet: i Union. ( The three statements, wi!thin hours of each other,! amounted to a rebuff of; President Leonid Brezhnev’s! [offer last Saturday to with-! [draw Soviet medium-rangei : missiles from Warsaw Pact' (territory if N.A.T.O. scrapped missile-modern-isation plans. I N.A.T.O. Foreign Ministers! [will decide in December; (whether to deploy Pershing: [II ballistic missiles or low-'-[altitude Cruise missiles in (Western Europe to offset ISS2O ballistic missiles being; introduced by the Warsaw[< (Pact. Il i Mr Carter told a news; I (conference that the Soviety [offer was “not quite as con- [ structive a proposal as at I [first blush it seems to be. I,i I think it's an effort designed, Ito disarm the willingness i

... of our allies adequately ■ 'to defend themselves.” The President said: "In my ■judgment, the decision ought to be made to modernise the i Western allies' military ■strength and then negotiate ... to lower armaments on [both sides.” Earlier in Bonn, the West German Foreign Minister (Mr Hans-Dietrich Genscher) urged N.A.T.O. to continue’ modernising tactical nuclear (weapons. And. in Britain. < the Defence Minister (Mr Francis Pym) said he [favoured going ahead with (plans to modernise the out-, (dated N.A.T.O. arsenal. He said President BrezhInev’s offer had to be treated 'with the utmost caution. At the same time, alii three countries welcomed Mri Brezhnev's decision to withdraw up to 20.000 Soviet (troops and 1000 tanks from East Germany in the next year. President Carter and Mr; Pym both noted, however. t thai the introduction of, .Moscow's new SS2O missile would increase the range'

.'.and accuracy of its nuclear arms in Europe. . United States officials said t the United States felt that a ? new medium-range missile ■ was essential for N.A.T.O. ? both to offset he SS2O and ijfor use as a bargaining chip in future arms talks. t, Mr Carter also said at his • press conference that the I United States had safely deyfused the controversy over : the presence of Soviet i .[troops in Cuba. •; “T think we have isolated > any threat from the unit.”, i,he said, adding that he be-'--i'lieved this would help gaini (Senate approval of the l •-.Strategic Arms Limitation I Treaty (S.A.L.T. II) this year. i As the President spoke, ■'three United States warships were heading for the Caribbean. via Morehead. North Carolina, for a show-the-flag landing by United States marines at the United States .base in Cuba, at Guanta-' namo Bay. i The assault exercise on Guantanamo, which will be 'staged in about a week, is

i part of the naval ma-, noeuvres ordered by Presi1 dent Carter on October I t i demonstrate overwhelming States military .[strength m the region. !• President Carter told re-: (.porters he was looking for-, ward to the 1980 Presiden- ; tial election campaign and ‘iwould stand up for his Gov-' • ernment's record. •j “I feel at ease about it. J .'will protect my record which I think is a good Lone.” he said. ’, Mr Carter will face his, '■first pre-election popularity’ [test on Saturday in Florida. Local Democratic Party members will choose more than 800 delegates to represent them at the party convention in November Supporters of the President and his probable rival [ for the party nomination.; Senator Edward Kennedy, will be trying to secure places at the convention. Neither Mr Carter nor. Senator Kennedy has firmlv [ announced his candidature, but the President is expected [ to do so on December 4. '