Geneva Talks to Be Complex, Nitze Predicts

The Reagan Administration’s top arms expert, Paul H. Nitze, on Tuesday predicted “complex and possibly lengthy” negotiations with the Soviet Union at the new talks on nuclear missiles and space arms set to begin next month in Geneva.

Nitze, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also said the Administration’s controversial space defense program, commonly called “Star Wars,” will be “on the table” at the talks, as far as deployment of future weapons is concerned. But, he noted, the current program involves only research and will not be limited.

Asked whether that means the program is “negotiable,” Nitze responded tersely: “It is not excluded.” He refused to elaborate.

Later, he referred a reporter to President Reagan’s remarks at his last news conference, in which he promised to discuss future deployment with the Soviets if the research program shows that space defense weapons are technically feasible.

However, Nitze said the research effort will have to go beyond proving feasibility alone. In addition, he said, the program--formally known as the Strategic Defense Initiative--would have to show that such defensive weapons are “reasonably survivable” in space and are cost effective.

Nitze was pressed hard by skeptical Democratic senators to explain why the Soviets should accede to U.S.wishes and agree in the short term to deep cutbacks in offensive warheads when “Star Wars” researchers will not be able to draw any conclusions about production until the 1990s.

“If they don’t know where defense is going, why should they agree up front to limit offense which they may later need?” asked Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes (D-Md.), who led the questioning.