Shultz likely to reassure allies

Press, 26 April 1988, Page 10

Shultz likely to reassure allies

NZPA-Reute;r j Brussels

The United States Secretary ofl State, George Shultz, is (expected to reassure the N.A.T.O. allies today! that next month’s super-Power summit in Moscow: will not be jeopardised; (by some sharp rhetorical exchanges in Srecent days.

Mr Shultz! is due to brief senior officials of the 16member Atlantic alliance, including most Foreign Ministers, cln two days of United Status-Soviet talks in Moscow ■ last week which both (sides said had failed to produce breakthroughs on arms control.

The Sovi.et (leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, reacting to a hardjhitiing speech by President Reagan last week, complained to Mr Shultz at a [Kremlin meeting on April (22 that the United States ( was lecturing Moscow oh its behaviour. especially about human rights. ( 1 "We are (not going to reeducate the United States, and do not accept that it has any right to re-edu-cate us." |Mr( Gorbachev said. I

Mr Shultiz sought to play down Mr (Gorbachev’s charge. I ( ; "Our Relationship is complicated. U'e have lots of problems | as well as

opportunities. We have lots of (difficulties as well as! accomplishments." he told reporters travelling with him in Kley, capital of! the Soviet Ukraine, over the week-end.

United States I officials said Mr Shultz’s) talks in Moscow had been useful despite the absence of notable progress, and deinied; that a cjoud had beien cast over ( preparations for Mr Gorbachev’s summit with (President Reagan from May 29 to June 2.

(They said Mr Shultz arid the Soviet) Foreign Minister, Eduard Shevardnadze. would (work on completing the) summit agenda when they met in Geneva on May 11-12. That: agenda appears unlikely to include the signing: of a planned treaty (to halve (he superpowers’ arsenal; of strategic I Inuclear weapon?, since ;both countries are suggesting the obstacles to such a qufrk accord are too formidable.

! The( May 11-12 meeting is expected to be the final meetipg between the two, who have been engaged in . intensive monthly discussions on the superpower relationship since September last year, before the Moscow summit. ! The suber-Powers

originally made it their top priority to secure a strategic arms treaty (S.T.A.R.T.) by the Moscow Summit, but American Officials now say it would not represent a setback (if the deal could not be dihched until later this year. ( The N.A.T.O. allies have endoijsed | the United States goal (of a S.T.A.R.T. accotjd, but are anxious that arms control negotiations) with! the Kremlin should then turn to conventional forces in Europe. The Atlantic alliance contends that the Sovietled Warsaw Pact enjoys a considerable advantage in conventional arms, and some) Western European countries fear this has been! accentuated by last December's United StatesSoviC't accord on eliminating medium and shorterrange nuclear missiles.

The Warsaw Pact says there is a broad parity in conventional forces in Europe. The allies will also hear Mr Shultz,! who returns to Washington from Brussels today, describe his discussions with Soviet (leaders on banning chemical weapons, a subject pn which he said he had made some progress when in Moscow. i '