Soviets Pledge to Hold to SALT Weapon Limit : Tass, Denouncing U.S. for Exceeding Ceiling, Says Moscow Will Comply ‘for the Time Being’

The Soviet Union announced Friday that it has decided to observe, “for the time being,” limits on nuclear weapons set out in the SALT II treaty, even though the United States has exceeded those limits.

The announcement was made by Tass, the official Soviet news agency, which at the same time denounced the Reagan Administration for going beyond the treaty’s ceiling by equipping its 131st B-52 bomber to carry cruise missiles.

Tass said the Soviet Union has adequate grounds for setting aside the SALT II pact, which was approved in 1979 but has never been ratified by the U.S. Senate.

Keeping ‘Key Constraint’

“But taking into account the immense universal importance of the issue and the need to preserve the key constraint on the strategic arms race, the Soviet Union refrains for the time being from abandoning the limitations,” it said.

The decision came as something of a surprise since a Foreign Ministry spokesman had said only a day earlier that his government felt free to ignore the treaty. Washington and Moscow both adhered to the treaty’s limit of 1,320 missile launchers each--including intercontinental missiles with multiple warheads and cruise-missile-carrying bombers--until the 131st cruise-ready B-52 was deployed last week.

The United States has accused the Soviet Union of violating the treaty by, among other things, building more missiles than permitted under the agreement.

Moscow denies that it has violated the treaty and countercharges that U.S development of the MX and Midgetman intercontinental ballistic missiles, the B-1 bomber and submarines equipped with Trident missiles are also in violation of the treaty.

‘Major Mistake’

Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev has said that the U.S. decision to scrap the SALT II limits was a “major mistake,” and on Friday Tass echoed this view, saying:

“These actions are fraught with serious consequences for international security. By undertaking them, the United States opens the gate to an unlimited race in strategic nuclear arms, which will inevitably sharpen the dangerous rivalry in the military field. The refusal to abide by the agreed restrictions . . . can make the situation unpredictable.”

Adding a bomber to the American nuclear strike force, Tass said, makes no military difference but makes a strong political statement of opposition to arms control.

Western diplomats observed that Moscow, by preserving its commitment to the SALT II limits, will benefit from a backlash against the U.S. move in Western Europe and Japan.

Test Moratorium

In addition to the decision on SALT II, Gorbachev has announced that his government will continue to observe a moratorium on nuclear tests, while the United States has continued to carry out underground tests.

The self-imposed Soviet moratorium is scheduled to expire Dec. 31, and senior officials have indicated that tests may be resumed next year.

The Tass statement came as Soviet and U.S. negotiators concluded, without any clear progress, a special four-day session on arms control in Geneva. A Western diplomat in Moscow said the Soviet Union was still on a “propaganda track” on arms control issues.