Kremlin Warns Bonn Against Role in U.S. ‘Star Wars’ Project

The Soviet Union on Monday warned West Germany against taking part in President Reagan’s program to build space weapons, saying the “Star Wars” plan could torpedo the upcoming superpower arms talks.

Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko, in 4 1/2 hours of talks with his West German counterpart, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, said the Kremlin would view the Bonn government as “an accomplice” in violating the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty if it helps develop the “Star Wars” weapons, the Soviet news agency Tass reported.

After the meeting, Genscher told a Moscow news conference that the U.S.-Soviet talks scheduled to begin March 12 in Geneva “could open a new chapter in East-West relations.”

But he held out little hope that new arms control agreements would be achieved swiftly.

Hastily Arranged Visit

Genscher’s visit had been hastily arranged. Just a few hours before he left Bonn on Sunday for a previously scheduled trip to Finland, it was announced he would be making a stopover in the Soviet capital. Asked about this Monday, he said only that both sides had deemed it a good opportunity to continue a dialogue.

Gromyko chose to make the meeting a forum for once again attacking the “Star Wars”--or Strategic Defense Initiative--proposals for developing space-based defenses against offensive missiles.

In recent weeks, Kremlin officials have mounted a campaign against the U.S. program, visiting Western capitals and repeatedly denouncing the Reagan plan in the Soviet media.

U.S. Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger said last month that Washington would welcome Bonn’s help in developing the advanced missile defenses. The West Germans say they have received no concrete invitation to take part.

Soviet Concern Expressed

After the Gromyko-Genscher meeting, Tass said, “In the context of the problem of preventing a militarization of outer space, the Soviet side has expressed concern over the stand of the West German government on the American space plans.

“West Germany’s joining in ‘research work’ to create outer space weapons, Gromyko said, would actually make it an accomplice in violation of the treaty on anti-ballistic missile defense and thus result in the torpedoing of the whole process of the limitation and reduction of nuclear weapons.”

The U.S.-Soviet anti-ballistic missile treaty sharply limits the development and deployment of such defensive systems.

The Soviets have insisted that offensive missiles and space weapons be given equal weight in the upcoming Geneva arms-control talks.

Missile Deployment

In his talks with Genscher, Gromyko also called on the Bonn government to halt deployment of U.S. medium-range nuclear missiles on West German territory, weapons the North Atlantic Treaty Organization says are needed to counter a threat from Soviet SS-20 missiles.

At next week’s Geneva talks, the Soviets will show a constructive and businesslike attitude, Gromyko was quoted as saying, but “success of the talks will depend on whether the American side acts likewise.”