‘Star Wars’ Called Arms Limit Incentive : But Kohl’s Support for Program Is Challenged by French Official

Chancellor Helmut Kohl on Saturday called the Reagan Administration’s research into a space-based defense system a “powerful incentive” for arms control, while French Defense Minister Charles Hernu said such a shield against nuclear missiles could endanger peace by pushing a foe to stockpile enough offensive weapons to “overwhelm” it.

Kohl and Hernu were among top U.S. and West European political leaders and defense specialists taking part in a weekend conference on North Atlantic Treaty Organization defense issues.

Dominates Discussions

The Administration’s research into space-based defenses--which it calls the Strategic Defense Initiative and the press has nicknamed “Star Wars”--dominated the discussions.

Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger, in remarks prepared for delivery to the conference today, defended “Star Wars,” saying that even an imperfect space-based system would promote stability and protect the United States and Western Europe by making the enemy unsure if a surprise missile attack would be successful.

Police with submachine guns encircled the conference being held at a hotel in downtown Munich and checked the bags and credentials of everyone entering or leaving.

A bomb threat was telephoned in, but it was investigated and presented “no reason for concern,” a police spokesman said. He would not elaborate.

The heavy security followed the Feb. 1 terrorist slaying of the chairman of a top West German defense contractor in his suburban Munich home.

‘Lowest Possible’ Level

Hernu urged the United States and Soviet Union to rule out militarization of space in their coming arms reduction talks. He said stable East-West ties hinge on the “lowest possible” level of armament.

“The strategic arsenals of the two superpowers are now well above what the rules of deterrence require,” he said. “The risks of instability are therefore real.”

However, Kohl, the opening speaker, called President Reagan’s plan to research space-based defenses “a powerful incentive for the Soviet Union to negotiate” on nuclear arms when U.S.-Soviet discussions resume next month af ter a 13-month break.

He expressed the concern of many Western European officials, however, by adding that with a space defense shield in place, “there must be no decoupling of European security from that of North America.”

Although Washington’s European allies have backed U.S. positions in arms talks, many of them fear that a space defense program could eventually lead the United States to rely on long-range weapons to defend itself rather than on a strong military presence in Europe.

‘Take Greatest Care’

“The United States should take the greatest care possible to consult the European allies on developments in space-defense research,” Lord Carrington, the NATO secretary general, said Saturday.

A space defense system, he said, “could make a great deal of difference in the American attitude toward the alliance.”

U.S. officials have maintained that the plan, if enacted, will not mean a U.S. withdrawal from Europe.

“Our vital interests and those of our allies are inextricably linked,” Reagan said recently.