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U.S. Has Second Thoughts on Killing SALT--Soviets

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Associated Press

A top Soviet diplomat said today that American policy-makers were having second thoughts about abandoning the SALT II arms control treaty and that keeping it alive would enhance prospects for a summit meeting between General Secretary Mikhail S. Gorbachev and President Reagan.

But Oleg M. Sokolov, the deputy Soviet ambassador, said at a news conference that if the United States ends its “technical” compliance with the 1979 accord, “the Soviet Union is not going to be a passive onlooker.”

Sokolov said the Soviets would take “corresponding measures,” making decisions on which provisions to exceed according to security needs.

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“So our response would be proportionate,” he said in response to questions.

He stressed, however, the treaty should be preserved as a “base” for further agreements to curb the buildup of nuclear weapons and prevent the militarization of outer space. Unfortunately, Sokolov said, “no progress has yet emerged” in the ongoing U.S.-Soviet negotiations in Geneva.

Earlier today, Secretary of State George P. Shultz disputed reports that the White House had declared the SALT II treaty dead.

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