U.S. rejects arms test ban extension

Press, 18 January 1986, Page 10

U.S. rejects arms test ban extension

NZPA-Reuter Washington The United States yesterday formally announced it would not join in an extended Soviet nuclear test moratorium. President Ronald Reagan said, however, that he was grateful for the new Kremlin arms control offer. The White House and the Defence Secretary, Mr Caspar Weinberger, said the Administration was determined to go ahead with its Strategic Defence Initiative, popularly called "star wars,” in spite of Soviet pleas to drop it. Mr Weinberger said it was “very very worrisome” that the Soviet Union continued to link its arms reduction proposals to an end to the “star wars” programme. He and the White House spokesman, Larry Speakes, said Washington had to pur-

sue its nuclear weapons testing, which officials say is largely devoted to experiments with hydrogen bombpowered “star wars” lasers. “The Soviet Union now does not need to test. It is important for us to test,” Mr Speakes said. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev proposed on Thursday a 15-year schedule for eliminating nuclear weapons and extended Moscow’s five-month old unilateral test ban for three months. The disarmament process envisaged depended on the United States abandoning its anti-missile space shield system. Mr Reagan said he was “very grateful” for a letter from Mr Gorbachev outlining his new plan. It would be studied carefully, he said. Asked if he were encouraged by the proposal,

he said: "Yes ... it’s different from anything that we have heard in the past and it’s just about the first time anyone’s proposed actually eliminating nuclear weapons.” In a White House statement yesterday, Mr Reagan said he had proposed the total abolition of nuclear weapons in a speech to the Japanese parliament two years ago. Mr Gorbachev’s plan was a response to a series of United States arms control initiatives, he asserted. Mr Weinburger said some elements in Mr Gorbachev’s proposal looked positive and might yield progress towards 50 per cent cuts in the super-Power nuclear arsenals stated as a goal by Messrs Reagan and Gorbachev at their “fireside summit” in Geneva in November.