Democrats Urge Soviet Respect for ABM Treaty

An influential group of House Democrats has told Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, in a letter released today, that Soviet compliance with existing arms control treaties is vital to approval of any future agreements.

The 23 liberal and moderate Democrats expressed particular concern about Soviet compliance with the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty.

Experts in both Democratic and Republican administrations have come to the “deeply disturbing conclusion” that a new radar system under construction in the Soviet Union will violate the missile treaty, which limits the location of early-warning radars to “the periphery of either country.”

“If this problem is not resolved in a satisfactory manner, it will have serious consequences for the future of the arms control process,” the Democrats said.

“Not only will additional arms control efforts to strengthen the ABM treaty, regarding space-based or other systems, become much more difficult, but continued substantive and political support for the ABM treaty itself in the Congress and among the American people will be eroded,” they said.

Among the signers of the letter were Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Stephen J. Solarz (D-N.Y.), Rep. Norman D. Dicks (D-Wash.) and Rep. Joseph P. Addabbo (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee on defense.

The Democrats described themselves as “deeply committed to the arms control process in general and to the ABM treaty in particular.”

They said the treaty was “a significant achievement” and warned that “adherence to existing treaties is a necessity in order for future agreements to be possible.”