Paper raps ‘star wars’

Press, 23 September 1987, Page 10

Paper raps ‘star wars’

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The Soviet Communist Party newspaper “Pravda” " accused; the United States yesterday of accelerating its “star wars” space defence programme just as the super-Powers reached an accord on banning medium-range missiles. “As soon as positive shifts begin to appear in United States-Soviet relations, and real prospects open up for achieving agreements, either limiting or reversing the arms race, the upper echelons of the American Administration begin overtly or secretly .to counter this,” the paper said.

It said the American Defence Secretary, Caspar Weinberger, had recently been reported as approving tests for President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative, the star wars project, for a partly space-based anti-missile defence.

“Thus the Pentagon has moved one step closer to implementing the star wars programme. In practice, this means a demonstration of a whole number of weapons and control systems from the S;D.I. arsenal,” “Pravda” said. “Moreover, the Pentagon and its contractors from the military-indus-trial complex are ready to start implementing the test programme in the near future. They are clearly in a hurry, fearing that the thaw in the international climate will threaten 5.D.1.,”