Gorbachev’s space-test proposal rejected

Press, 19 June 1986, Page 10

Gorbachev’s space-test proposal rejected

NZPA-Reuter London A senior American defence official has rejected the latest proposal by the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to limit research on the strategic defence initiative to the laboratory. The Pentagon official, who is concerned with S.D.I. said that a large part of the programme to

build a space-based shield against Soviet nuclear missiles, entailed experiments outside the laboratory, in space. But he said Mr Gorba-, chev’s proposal, in a speech on Tuesday to the Communist Party’s central committee, appeared to break new ground in accenting S.D.I. research. Preyfeus Soviet state-

ments have insisted that the programme threatens world stability and should be scrapped. Mr Gorbachev said that in return he . wanted Washington to commit itself for 15 years more to the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, signed in 1972, which restricts defences against nuclear attack. The official saidithat restricting the S.D.ftgpro-

gramme to the laboratory would deal it a death blow. “We have to come out of the laboratory to advance the programme,” he said. Experiments were already planned to launch vehicles into space to test whether heat-seeking sensors could track and aim at rockets and missiles.

Another experiment already being planned entailed firing a groundbased laser at a shortrange missile. The official said the Soviet Union was also well advanced in building powerful ground-based lasers and appeared to be progressing towards developing space-based lasers.

He said that S.D.I. had already persuaded the Soviets to make what would once have seemed to be unthinkable concessions in arms control negotiations and predicted that the programme would eventually lead to an arms reduction agreement under which both super-Powers would heavily r&tuce nuclear stockpiles. -