Gorbachev moves to revitalise stalling talks

Press, 24 July 1987, Page 6

Gorbachev moves to revitalise stalling talks

NZPA-Reuter Moscow Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, has moved to revitalise stalling disarmament negotiations with the United States with a surprise offer to dismantle all Soviet medium and shorter-range missiles in Asia.

Mr Gorbachev made his proposal for what he termed a “global double zero” as American officials were complaining that Moscow appeared to have lost interest in quick movement towards an historic Euromissile treaty. The problem of Asianbased nuclear weapons had emerged as a major obstacle to agreement at the Geneva talks on eliminating the missiles in Europe. Moscow had been insisting that it should be permitted to retain 100 medium-range rockets, covering 1000 to 5000 km, to counter the United States nuclear presence in the northern Pacific. However, in what he termed "a major step,” Mr Gorbachev told an Indonesian newspaper publisher he was dropping linkage with American

weaponry in the region of Korea, the Philippines and the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. He said he was ready in response to appeals from Asian states to eliminate medium-range missiles in the east of the Soviet Union if Washington agreed to reciprocal measures.

In a clear reference to the 30 to 50 SSI 2 rockets with a range of 5001000 km in the Asian Soviet Union, he said: “Shorter-range missiles will also be eliminated.” At the Geneva talks, the United States has argued that it should be allowed to station 100 rockets in Alaska to counter the Soviet Asian-based medium-range missiles, but Moscow negotiators rejected this demand. Moscow diplomats said that if agreement was reached on the Gorbachev formula — welcomed by United States and N.A.T.O. officials with cautious optimism — it would give a major impetus to the Geneva negotiations. The Soviet leader simply asked that Wash-

ington not increase a nuclear presence in the north Pacific.

He also suggested talks on restricting the movements of Soviet and United States nucleararmed ships in the area to keep them far enough from each other’s coastlines to be out of firing range.

The Gorbachev offer came as Soviet officials were displaying impatience at what they have argued has been United States obstructionism at Geneva not only over the Asian missile issue, but also on Euro-pean-based rockets. Moscow’s chief negotiator at the talks, first deputy foreign minister Yuli Vorontsov, said recently the talks had slowed down because of “new destructive conditions” the Americans were seeking to introduce. Among these, Mr Vorontsov said, were United States proposals to transfer medium-range cruise missiles to warships in European waters and insistence on keeping 72 warheads for use on West German missiles.