Soviets reaffirm stand against N.A.T.O. plan

Press, 27 December 1979, Page 6

Soviets reaffirm stand against N.A.T.O. plan

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The Soviet Union’s chief spokesman on international affairs has made it clear that Moscow would not negotiate on arms control with the West under conditions established by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s decision to boost its missile strength in Europe. Leonid Zamyatin, head of the international information department of the Soviet Communist Party’s Central Committee, reaffirmed previous statements by Soviet leaders, including the Foreign Minister (Mr Andrei

Gromyko) that the N.A.T.O. decision on December 12 had destroyed the basis for EastWest talks on the issue. In an article in the newspaper, “Liternaturnaya Gazeta,” published in advance by the news agency Tass, Mr Zamyatin said the Atlantic alliance did not need to increase its rocket strength by 600 Pershing2 and cruise missiles.

He poured scorn on Western arguments that the N.A.T.O. decision had been taken to counter Soviet military superiority in Europe. Mr Zamyatin also dismissed N.A.T.O.’s “parallel” proposal to strengthen its

rocket force and at the same time start talks with Soviet bloc countries on controlling nuclear arms.

“We are not prepared to hold talks on such a basis,” he said. Mr Zamyatin reiterated charges that the West had not heeded President Leonid Brezhnev’s call for speedy negotiations on reducing nuclear missiles in Europe. “They (N.A.T.O. leaders) took the decision on the production and deployment of new medium-range missiles and thereby destroyed the basis for negotiations on this problem,” he said.