Superpower talks cover wide range

Press, 5 December 1989, Page 11

Superpower talks cover wide range

- NZPA-Reuter , Valletta Z. The United States President, George Bush, and the Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev, discussed a wide range of issues at their first summit: United States-Soviet relations: Both hailed the _ new era of co-operation rather than competition 2 between superpowers and stressed that they had established good working relationships. „ Arms control: Both agreed to pursue a strategic arms reduction treaty, slashing arsenals of interx continental nuclear weapons by about half in time - for a summit in THE United States in June. X Naval disarmament: Mr Bush rejected a Soviet proposal to add naval forces to the agenda of Vienna talks on cutting conventional forces in -••Europe. Chemical weapons: Mr Gorbachev said they had J. made some progress on chemical weapons disarma- "■ ment treaty. Central America: Mr Bush said they had narrowed 'differences. He complained arms were still reaching X'leftist insurgents fighting the United States-backed «■ Government in El Salvador but accepted Mr X Gorbachev’s assurance that Moscow was no longer • sending weapons. Mr Bush suggested that the Sandinista Government in Nicaragua wa£ not being - truthful with Moscow about sending arms to El “ Salvador. 7-t Eastern Europe: They agreed that liberal reforms ■; ; under way in Eastern Europe were dramatic and evolutionary changes. Both made plain that they did - not want to see changes spin out of control and '‘ destabilise all of Europe.