U.S. Aide Calls Gorbachev Discourteous

Assistant Defense Secretary Richard Perle, offering off-the-cuff remarks today before a summit news blackout, criticized Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev for being discourteous to Iceland’s leaders.

Perle, a Pentagon hard-liner on dealing with the Soviets, briefed reporters mainly on his views on the progress of arms negotiations.

But he also took a swipe at Gorbachev for arriving today at an hour when Icelandic President Vigdis Finnbogadottir could not meet him at the airport.

Perle said Gorbachev was advised that Iceland’s Parliament would be meeting between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and that Finnbogadottir’s presence was required.

“He was asked to arrive before they met or after they adjourned,” Perle said. “For reasons I don’t understand, Gorbachev chose to arrive during the meeting.

“If we had arrived over the objections of the Icelandic government, we would have been excoriated.”

The Soviet plane landed at Keflavik airport at 1:18 p.m.

White House aides appeared annoyed when Perle buttonholed reporters to give them his comments on the eve of the summit. U.S. officials have asked the Soviets to agree to a news blackout during the talks between Gorbachev and President Reagan which begin Saturday.