Long Road Ahead, Shultz Cautions on Arms Talks : ‘No Hats Should Go in the Air’

Secretary of State George P. Shultz said today the U.S.-Soviet arms talks in Geneva were never in danger of collapsing, “but it is clear that we have a long and arduous process ahead.”

The United States and the Soviet Union reached a fair and balanced agreement, Shultz told reporters while heading to Washington.

“But nobody’s hat should go in the air. We have a start,” he said. “In our discussions it was apparent that we had lots of important differences of opinion. So we start the negotiations.”

Immediately after his plane arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, Shultz went to the White House to brief President Reagan on the joint arms negotiations statement in advance of a nationally broadcast presidential news conference.

Reagan told reporters as he greeted Shultz that he is “extremely well-satisfied” with the results of the talks.

As Reagan and Shultz walked with Vice President George Bush from the West Wing to the White House residence, a reporter asked Reagan, “A job well done?”

“Yes,” Reagan answered emphatically.

The President is expected to hail as “good news” the U.S.-Soviet agreement to open umbrella negotiations on nuclear arms and space weaponry in an opening statement at his 5 p.m. (PST) news conference.

Shultz and Gromyko agreed to decide within one month when and where negotiations will begin on strategic weapons, intermediate-range missiles in Europe and space defense systems, a new category.

The strategic weapons and missile talks were broken off by Moscow in late 1983, but Reagan’s reelection and determined pursuit of a $26-billion research program on space defense against ballistic missiles brought the Soviets back to the negotiating table.

“When we start I just can’t say,” Shultz told reporters aboard his plane from Geneva. “But I think we both want to get started as soon as it is practical to do so.”

Shultz had suggested that the talks begin in Geneva in March, but the Soviets declined.

Despite the agreement, Shultz said, there was no call for celebration and the negotiations would be long, complex and tough.

“I don’t think Mr. Gromyko or I had any indication we were going to go home or walk out of the talks--that wasn’t the atmosphere of the talks at all,” Shultz said.

Gromyko, who left Geneva 45 minutes after Shultz, read a brief statement in English in which he spoke of the “immense tasks” that lie ahead for the two superpowers.

“There is no need to speak at length that the talks were not simple,” said Gromyko, adding that the Soviet Union “will go its part of the road fully aware of the responsibility shared by the two great powers.”

Although Administration officials say no negotiator has been picked for the talks, CBS reported that anchorman Dan Rather learned in Geneva that Shultz has decided to appoint veteran diplomat Max Kampelman as chief negotiator.