The World - News from Dec. 4, 1986

Defense ministers from European nations in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, increasingly concerned at the prospect of a future with fewer U.S. nuclear weapons, pledged efforts to strengthen their conventional forces. They announced plans to introduce 275 advanced Leopard 2 and Challenger tanks and 150 new armored personnel carriers next year, as well as missile launchers and hand-held anti-tank missiles. In a statement issued in Brussels, the defense ministers reaffirmed support for U.S. moves to achieve a separate agreement with the Soviets on medium-range missiles and for 50% cuts in strategic weapons.