Rome’s support for missile plan pleases Bush

Press, 9 February 1983, Page 9

Rome’s support for missile plan pleases Bush

NZPA-Reuter Rome The American Vice-Presi-dent, Mr George Bush, was leaving Italy for France today reinforced by the Italian Governments firm commitment to base nuclear missiles on Sicily pending on arms control pact with the Soviet Union. The Prime Minister. Mr Amintore Fanfani, summed up Italy's unwavering support of the American position yesterday when he said that Italy sought a slowdown in the arms race “so as to bring to zero, or at least reduce the number, of medium-range nuclear missiles.'’

But he pledged the country's resolve to start installing 112 cruise missiles at Comiso, Sicily, in December if United States-Soviet talks in Geneva have failed to make progress by them. In Paris the French President. Mr Francois Mitter-

rand, is expected to tell Mr Bush that France remained a firm supporter of N.A.T.O.'s decision to deploy new missiles in Europe.

Mr Mitterrand, who has aligned himself closely with President Reagan over the installation of American missiles in Europe this year if the Geneva talks fail, was nonetheless expected to tell Mr Bush that a shift in American economic attitudes would help strengthen the Western alliance, diplomats said.

Mr Bush, clearly heartened by the support'of Italian political leaders, said that it was up to Moscow to get the negotiations moving. “So far we have heard a series of ‘nyets.’ It is time the replies changed tune, the whole world is waiting,” he said. He repeated his view that the Soviet Union was now obliged to make a countersuggestion after rejecting President Ronald Reagan’s

proposed ban on all mediumrange warheads in Europe, including those already in place. At a news conference Mr

Bush said that the American “zero option” was a moral goal, but refused to be drawn on whether the American negotiators would consider intermediate arms control steps towards it as advocated by some West European politicians. France’s Socialist Government, although it includes four Communist Ministers,

has backed Washington's call for a “zero option,” consistently described by Mr Bush as a moral proposal under which Moscow would scrap all its existing SS2O, SS4, and SSS medium-range missiles. But in private, Mr Mitterrand's aides say that he believes the allies could accept an intermediary solution under which some American and Soviet missiles would be deployed.