U.S. Accepts Pre-Summit Plan for Talks : Shultz, Shevardnadze Likely to Meet Before U.N. Session in Fall

President Reagan said Tuesday that he has agreed to the Soviet Union’s suggestion of “a work plan” for a series of preparatory meetings between the superpowers “that could lead to a productive summit later this year.”

As part of that plan, Secretary of State George P. Shultz is expected to meet with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze before they attend the opening of the United Nations’ session in New York this fall. A date being considered for that meeting is Sept. 19-20 in Washington.

A White House official said there is no set agenda for these preparatory meetings, as Reagan implied in his remarks Tuesday to a group of congressional student interns. However, the official said, the President was “setting the atmosphere” to encourage further talks.

Concrete Results Sought

Both sides want to avoid another summit, like the first between Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev last November, that yields no concrete agreements, the official said.

As he has done several times recently, Reagan put an optimistic face on the pre-summit maneuverings between the United States and the Soviet Union.

“For the first time,” he said, “we are not only pointed in the right direction--toward reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons--we have begun, both sides, to move down that road.”

At the same time, Reagan declared that the United States will continue its program to develop a space-based missile defense system “on schedule.”

Vows to Push ‘Star Wars’

Despite speculation that Reagan might be prepared to trade the Strategic Defense Initiative, popularly known as “Star Wars,” for major cuts in offensive weapons, the President made clear that he intends to push ahead with the defense program.

“To the extent that some members of Congress slow down or undercut SDI, they undercut hopes for progress in arms reductions,” he said, declaring that he will not “bargain away” a program “that could release the world from the threat of ballistic missiles.”

Reagan spelled out the terms of the latest U.S. counteroffer on arms control to Gorbachev in a private letter last Friday, which officials said went on “for pages and pages.”

In his remarks to the students, Reagan said that the letter “underlines my determination to keep the momentum going” as he tries to negotiate “radical reductions” in nuclear arms. He said that he could not divulge the specifics of the letter “because serious exchanges usually take place in private.”

He said that the Administration has criticized the Soviets in the past for publicizing their proposals, adding that “negotiations are sensitive plants that can wither up and die in the glare of publicity.”

‘Two Pillars’ of Cuts

Nevertheless, the broad outlines of the Administration’s position have been disclosed to the press. It rests, as Reagan said, on the “two pillars” of radical cuts in strategic weapons on both sides, coupled with a strong commitment to the research and development of a space-based defense system.

The Administration initially proposed a 50% cut in long-range strategic systems. The Soviets then offered a 30% cut, conditioning it on an SDI ban, except for research, for 15 to 20 years.

The U.S. counteroffer proposed a five-year ban on SDI deployment with the understanding that research, including testing, could continue during that period. After the five years, Reagan proposed that the superpowers negotiate for two years the future of nuclear deterrence, assuming that a “Star Wars” system then would be closer to reality.

If the Soviets agreed to those negotiations, the United States would defer “Star Wars” deployment for the two-year negotiating period. If they refused to negotiate, the United States would then be free to immediately deploy a system.

Skepticism Persists

One caveat in all this intricate maneuvering is the scientific skepticism about the viability of a space-based missile defense. While Reagan stands by his timetable, initial research indicates that any system is years away and is unlikely to be anywhere near deployment until the next century, if then.

Still, many arms control experts credit the threat of “Star Wars” with bringing the Soviets to the bargaining table. And any eventual arms control accord with the Soviets will have to take into account the possibility of such space-based strategic systems becoming a reality.