Brezhnev offers Oct. summit with Reagan

Press, 19 April 1982, Page 8

Brezhnev offers Oct. summit with Reagan

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, answering President Reagan’s proposal last week for a summit meeting, has called for top-level talks this northern autumn but insisted they be well prepared to guarantee success. The 75-year-old Kremlin chief, in an interview to be published in the Communist Party daily, “Pravda,” today, said summit meetings could be of crucial importance in international relations. He agreed in principle with the proposal that Mr

Reagan made on April 5. but rejected his idea that a meeting should take place during a United Nations disarmament session in New York next June. “The meeting could take place in a third country, say Finland or Switzerland—of course, with the agreement of the relevant governments." he said. "The suitable time, in my opinion, would be autumn. In Octover, for instance." he added. In Washington, a White

house spokesman said it was studying Mr Brezhnev's suggestion carefully. “In the meantime. President Reagan remains hopeful that President Brezhnev will come to the United Nations this June and meet with him then,” he Said. However, Mr Brezhnev apparently ruled this out, saying: "Obviously such a meeting must be well prepared and conducted in a solid fashion and not incidentally, in connection with one or another international forum.