Nitze, Perle Assure Thatcher U.S. Is Not Considering Early ‘Star Wars’ Partial Deployment

On the first stop of a six-nation trip to consult with European allies, two U.S. arms control experts told Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Wednesday that the Reagan Administration is not considering an early partial deployment of its “Star Wars” space-based missile defense system.

British officials said that Paul H. Nitze, the State Department’s senior arms control adviser, and Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard N. Perle reaffirmed an Administration position taken two years ago that the system, formally known as the Strategic Defense Initiative, would not be deployed until after negotiations with the Soviet Union.

Nitze “emphasized that early deployment is not under consideration,” a Thatcher aide said. “It was agreed that (deployment) was a matter of negotiation.”

However, in an apparent attempt to avoid possible discord, British officials declined to comment on a move under review by the Administration to broaden the traditional interpretation of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in a way that would permit testing of space defense components.

Reservations Voiced

Earlier this month, in Washington, British Defense Secretary George Younger voiced reservations about any unilateral U.S. changes to the ABM treaty.

Nitze and Perle, who left London for West Germany, are also scheduled to visit France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands as part of the Administration’s consultation with principal allies before a final decision is made on whether to embrace the broader interpretation of the ABM treaty and modify the space defense program.

Lt. Gen. Edward L. Rowny, the senior arms control adviser at the White House, will be consulting with leaders in Japan, China, Australia and South Korea.

The consultations in Europe take place against a backdrop of mounting confusion and concern about the direction of U.S. policy on the Strategic Defense Initiative.

The confusion on this side of the Atlantic stems from apparently contradictory statements from senior Administration officials, among them Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger and Secretary of State George P. Shultz, about the deployment timing of a space-based anti-missile system.

Weinberger said that rapid progress in research has opened the way for partial deployment far sooner than had been expected--possibly as early as 1994--but statements by Shultz seemed to rule out any early deployment.

The prospect of early deployment, with a possibly negative impact on arms control negotiations, has generated concern in Europe, which sees itself as a likely battlefield in any superpower confrontation.

One U.S. official here, who declined to be identified by name, said the Nitze-Perle mission is to some extent an attempt at diplomatic damage control. The presence of representatives of both the State Department and the Defense Department presents the image of a united Administration, he said.

Cornerstone Agreement

Europeans have voiced concern about reports that President Reagan is considering adopting the broader interpretation of the ABM treaty, which would permit testing as well as laboratory research. They see the treaty as a cornerstone arms control agreement.

Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev has warned that any unilateral attempt to reinterpret the treaty would effectively destroy it.

Despite previous comments by members of the Thatcher Cabinet critical of any changes in the ABM treaty, a senior British official repeatedly avoided any direct comment on the issue Wednesday, stating only that any differences are solely between the treaty’s signatories--the United States and the Soviet Union.

“Britain stands by the ABM,” the official said. “If there are differences, there is a clause in the treaty to deal with them, and they should be ironed out.”

British officials noted that Thatcher believes work on the anti-missile system should continue at least until its feasibility is proved, but they said she has emphasized the need to take into account its impact on American-Soviet arms negotiations and overall East-West relations.