U.S. fears flak at space meeting

Press, 9 August 1982, Page 6

U.S. fears flak at space meeting

NZPA Washington Unispace 'B2, a 120-nation United Nations conference on space, will open today in Vienna' and some observers fear the American delegation will find itself in a 12-day propaganda minefield. Although the meeting ostensibly is technical,' the hidden agenda of delegates from many nations will be political and economic. Daniel- Deudney ): of the Worldwatch Institute * in Washington, says that the United States may find itself" having to answer hostile questions about the military use of space, remote sensing of Earth resources by satel-.■ lite, support for the advancement of science through space activities, and other key subjects. “It would be, a real tragedy if the United States were singled out as a villain at the Vienna conference. It has such an excellent record of accomplishments in inter-

national co-operation in space,” he said. The Soviet Union also is likely to come.in for sortie criticism from Third World countries who want a greater say in space affairs. Insisting that space is part of a "common heritage -of mankind,” the developing nations may demand that the United ■ States and other developed nations share space technology with them as part of what they view as a moral obligation, says a report from the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. In this, says Mr Deudney, the developing nations may be ignoring that the United States has shared Earth resources satellite data with all nations, for instance. The critics also suggest that Reagan Administration positions — for instance, a plan to turn over to private industry the Earth resources satellite programme —

sometimes leave the United States unnecessarily open to propaganda attacks. James Beggs, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the head of the American delegation, seems unworried. “One thousand agreements with 100 countries” on outer space matters which the United States had executed in international space cooperation would smooth the' way at Vienna, he told a news conference. But Mr Deudney, author of a new report on the international aspects of space, and the Office of Technology. Assessment, believe there will be serious problems. There will be the inevitable Soviet ■ allegation that the space shuttle, which completed its final test flight recently with a partly military cargo, is essentially a military vehicle. Mr Beggs says that the

United States strongly opposes an arms race in space and that he will make this clear to participants. Mr Deudney says that the United States may have trouble avoiding allegations of hypocrisy if it sticks too strictly to this line. And there is the growing tendency of developing nations to gang up on the United States.: “Many such countries will vote as members of regional or economic blocs,’’ an Q.T.A. report says. ’• But whether attacks are rational or 'fair the critics believe that they, are inevitable. And they think that the (United States delegation may be ill-equipped to J counter them because of what they say is the Administration’s failure to, prepare for the political attacks. Although the question of an arrns race in space is not on the agenda, everyone involved, including Mr Beggs, agrees that the subject is certain to come up-

He insists that America’s •military activities are strictly “defensive,” especially the surveillance satellites that he says lessen the chances of war through helping to verify that other countries are adhering to armscontroKagreements. Critics believe there is more to it than that. The journal, “Science" recently called a space-policy statement by President Ronald Reagan on July 4 “a small but important shift in the direction of the U.S. space programme toward increased military control of activities in space.” The O.T.A. report says: “Recently there has been a series of official U.S. statements and initiatives that may lend weight to charges that the United States intends to militarise space.” The reference is, in part, to the anti-satellite capability the United States is developing.