Gorbachev Presses Mitterrand on Talks

Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, in a toast to visiting French President Francois Mitterrand, called on Europe “to speak more definitely and confidently on its own behalf” and “to press for progress on all the ongoing talks” on arms control.

In response, Mitterrand said, “It is time for Europeans to become masters of their own destiny.”

Gorbachev made no mention, in a speech that lasted about 10 minutes, of the state of superpower relations or the outlook for a meeting with President Reagan. He concentrated on pushing the pan-European theme that often surfaces in Soviet diplomacy.

In this context, he criticized Washington for its veto, at a May conference on human rights in Bern, Switzerland, of expanded human contacts between East and West despite European agreement.

‘U.S. Quashed’ Chance

“What happened at Bern?” Gorbachev said. “Progress toward agreement was about to be made, so the United States quashed that opportunity. Yet the Soviet Union has unilaterally set about working on those proposals which we tabled at Bern.

“The U.S.S.R. is prepared to follow the Bern draft in practice in its bilateral relations with those states which would wish to reach agreement with us.”

Gorbachev hinted that, in the continuing conference at Stockholm on military confidence-building measures, the Soviet Union and France “could reach agreement already, now, as to how to promote” a successful outcome “on the basis of equality and equal security that can ensure success.”

It was a speech clearly calculated to flatter the French, substituting possibilities for progress in understanding and cooperation across Europe in place of the difficulties of the superpower relationship in getting any agreements to curb the nuclear arms race.

De Gaulle’s Trip to Moscow

Moreover, as Gorbachev recalled, it was almost exactly 20 years ago that former French President Charles de Gaulle made his spectacular visit to the Soviet Union, preaching these same themes of detente from the Atlantic to the Urals and putting as much distance as possible between Paris and Washington.

“Everybody sees that Europeans are sick and tired of nerve-racking confrontation and tension,” Gorbachev said. “They need the air of detente. The seriousness of the international situation, the ripening of the threat of war are realized with particular acuteness here in Europe.” He continued:

“For it is in Europe that new nuclear missiles are being deployed. On the other hand, it is in Europe that valuable experience of peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems, either members of military alliances or neutral, has been accumulated.”

Mitterrand, arriving in Moscow from Paris in mid-afternoon, was driven straight to the Kremlin, where he and his wife will stay during their four-day visit. Mitterrand and Gorbachev had an initial one-to-one conversation that lasted nearly two hours. There will be two other such talks before Mitterrand returns to Paris on Thursday evening.

Outlook on Arms Control

The French president arrived in Moscow not long after meeting with President Reagan in New York and attending the rededication ceremonies for the Statue of Liberty. Although he brings no special message from Reagan, it is expected that he will tell Gorbachev of the President’s outlook on the arms-control problem and the need for a summit meeting.

According to a Soviet spokesman, the two leaders dealt with bilateral matters in their opening discussion and will turn to East-West issues today.