U.S. Arms Delegate ‘Rash, Unobjective,’ Soviets Say

The Soviet delegation to the superpower arms talks today accused the chief U.S. negotiator of being “rash and unobjective” in his response to a proposed Soviet draft treaty on medium-range nuclear missiles.

The delegation, in a statement distributed to reporters, also appeared to accuse U.S. negotiator Max M. Kampelman of violating the confidentiality rule agreed to when the arms talks began in March, 1985.

On Thursday, the Soviet delegation called a special meeting with the U.S. side to introduce the draft treaty, and Kampelman later remarked on the document.

“The Soviet side, guided by the principle of confidentiality applied at the negotiations, did not make public that it had introduced” the draft treaty, said the statement issued today by the Soviet delegation.

It said Kampelman, in comments on Thursday to reporters in Bern, Switzerland, gave a “one-sided, distorted description of the Soviet proposal.”

Kampelman had said in response to a question that the document “was merely a formal treaty carrying out statements they had previously made to us.” The United States has said previous Soviet proposals on medium-range nuclear forces contained unacceptable elements.

Nothing New

Officials in Washington also said the document appeared at first glance to contain nothing new.

The Soviet statement said Kampelman “gave rash and unobjective assessments of the Soviet draft.”

It called the presentation of the draft treaty “a major development at the negotiations, testifying to the willingness of the Soviet side” to work toward a quick agreement at the talks, now in their fifth round.

The U.S. delegation had no immediate comment on the Soviet statement, U.S. mission spokesman Christopher Henze told the Associated Press.

U.S. officials have explained the confidentiality rule as meaning delegates may not comment publicly on the substance of the talks during the round.