Reagan Assails Soviet Stand at European Talks

President Reagan today accused the Soviet Union of indulging in propaganda and failing to negotiate seriously at a 35-nation conference on ways to reduce the risk of war in Europe.

Reagan said the United States and its allies want a fair compromise at the Stockholm Conference on Confidence and Security Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe, and he charged Moscow with failing to meet them halfway.

The conference, which is scheduled to resume Jan. 29, is stalled over a Soviet proposal for a declaration renouncing the first use of force on the Continent.

The United States and its allies believe that such a declaration is meaningless unless it is accompanied by other measures, such as an exchange of information on military forces and more notification of troop maneuvers.

In a statement after meeting with James Goodby, U.S. representative at the Stockholm conference, Reagan said: “The Soviet response to our invitation to negotiate has not been forthcoming.

“The Soviets have yet to demonstrate a willingness to put aside those ideas which are more rhetorical than substantive. They have yet to join the majority of participants who favor a serious, practical approach to developing meaningful confidence-building measures.”

The Stockholm conference is one of a series of negotiations aimed at reducing the risk of war by controlling nuclear and conventional armaments and developing measures in which both East and West can have confidence.

Reagan said in his statement today that the Stockholm conference has a unique role to play in the overall effort to preserve peace.

“Complementing those (nuclear) arms control efforts . . . the Stockholm conference addresses the proximate causes of war--miscalculation and misinterpretation--and seeks to ensure that those forces are never used.”