U.S., Soviet Union agree to pact

Press, 26 November 1987, Page 1

U.S., Soviet Union agree to pact

BARRY SCHWEID

By 1

NZPA-AP Geneva The United States and the Soviet Union agreed yesterday to the first super-Power treaty to eliminate a category of nuclear weapons. , The pact will be signed at a summit in Washington on December 9. The deal was sealed with a handshake by the American

Secretary of State, Mr George Shultz, and the Soviet Foreign Minister, Mr Eduard Shevardnadze, at the United States Mission. Later, at a news conference, Mr Shultz said the Soviets had not provided all the missile information requested by the United States but would turn the data over by the end of the week.

He said arrangements for verifying United States and Soviet compliance with the treaty was “far beyond anything that’s been attempted before.” Mr Shultz challenged critics of the emerging accord “to stand up and say we should have more nuclear weapons instead of less.” Asked if the Administration would be able to win Senate ratification, Mr Shultz said: “I’ll

bet we can.” The treaty to scrap shorter and medium-range missiles is the centrepiece of the talks the United States President, Mr Reagan, and the Soviet leader, Mr Gorbachev, are scheduled to hold in Washington on December 8 to 10. At a separate news conference, Mr Shevardnadze said: “It’s a treaty, of tremendous

importance for the world.” He voiced the hope that “a political thaw is starting which may lead to a change in the political climate on our planet” Mr Shevardnadze called the treaty “a triumph of peace” and referring to the protracted negotiations, said “the U.S.-Soviet peace marathon is now over.”

From

TONY VERDON

in Moscow ; Russian diplomats believe New Zealand’s trade prospects would improve with a visit by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange. They say relations between the Soviet Union and Australia are on the up-swing, and cite an imminent visit by the Australian Prime Minister, Mr Hawke, as evidence. However, they are anxious not to embarrass the New Zealand Government by appearing to take ad-

vantage of the rift between Wellington and Washington over nuclear visits. The head of the Australia, New Zealand and Oceania department in the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Eugeny Rogov, said his Government did not want to rush such a meeting. “We understand the delicacy of the situation vis-a-vis the New ZealandUnited States relationship,” he said. “We are not acting like a bull in a china shop and

we would not like to be one,” he said. Visits by top-level politicians helped improve relations for both countries. Various agreements to improve cultural, sporting and economic ties between Australia and the Soviet Union would be announced during Mr Hawke’s visit.

"Such a visit is a political indication of good will on both sides.”

People in the Soviet Union knew much more about Australia than they did about New Zealand.