Gromyko warns Spain

Press, 21 November 1979, Page 8

Gromyko warns Spain

NZPA-Reuter Madrid The Soviet Foreign Minister (Mr Andrei Gromyko) has warned the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation against deploying medium-range nuclear missiles in Western Europe, and has urged Spain to stay out of the Western military alliance. Mr Gromyko was speaking at a dinner in Madrid after his first day in Spain. His three-day visit is the first by a senior Kremlin representative. The Spanish Foreign Minister (Mr Marcelino Oreja) indicated at the dinner that Spam planned to press ahead and join the European Common Market and N.A.T.O. Mr Gromyko discussed international problems with King Juan Carlos and Mr Oreja. He said the main threat to detente was the continuing arms race. A threat of an arms escalation in Europe, where N.A.T.O. members planned to install new medium-range nuclear missiles, existed despite recent Soviet peace initiatives, he said. “If they want to put rockets at the threshold of our home, then do not expect the Soviet Union to look on with indifference,” he said. Mr Oreja showed no signs that his Government was prepared to reconsider its pro-N.A.T.O. stance. He said newly-democratic Soain felt itself to be part of the Western World and had decided to integrate itself fully into an area to which it belonged by its geography, history, culture and way of life. Spain's Western leaning did not imply antagonism towards other countries, said Mr Oreja, with an eye towards next year’s third European Security Conference which Madrid is organ-