Soviets Indicate Nuclear Testing Will Resume

The Soviet Union gave a clear signal Wednesday that it will resume nuclear tests after Jan. 1 unless the United States joins a testing moratorium.

Andronik A. Petrosyants, chairman of the Soviet state atomic energy committee, said that Moscow’s unilateral test moratorium, declared in August, 1985, remains in force until the end of this year.

“There is still time for the United States, before Jan. 1, 1987, finally to heed the voice of reason and demands of hundreds of millions of people all over the world and cease their nuclear explosions,” Petrosyants said. “In that case, the U.S.S.R. would not resume nuclear tests either.”

Soviet diplomatic sources in this Swiss city said that Moscow’s unilateral moratorium will have lasted 17 months by Jan. 1, and the military believes it would endanger national security to extend it if U.S. tests continue.

Conclusion of Talks

Petrosyants made his statement at a news conference called to discuss Tuesday’s conclusion of the third round of nuclear testing discussions between U.S. and Soviet experts.

Petrosyants accused Washington of refusing to enter into formal negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty because it wants to extend the nuclear arms race into space--a reference to President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, the “Star Wars” program.

The Reagan Administration in 1981 broke off U.S.-Soviet-British negotiations on a comprehensive test ban that would have completed a partial 1963 treaty that prohibited all but underground explosions.

The United States, in the current talks between experts, said it primarily seeks agreement on improved verification methods to permit U.S. ratification of a 1973 “threshold” agreement limiting underground tests to 150 kilotons, the equivalent to 150,000 tons of TNT.