Short-Range Missile Talks Are Proposed
The Soviet Union is prepared to negotiate on short-range nuclear missiles in Europe at the same time it discusses the elimination of medium-range missiles, a senior Soviet arms control official said Thursday.
Viktor P. Karpov, a veteran arms negotiator, said the “parallel” talks would not be linked nor would there be a package deal covering the two types of missiles.
Karpov is now head of the arms control directorate of the Soviet Foreign Ministry.
His London visit appears to be an attempt to ease Western European concerns that if a deal was struck to scrap the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s cruise and Pershing 2 missiles, along with Soviet SS-20s, the Soviets would be left with a tremendous advantage in short-range missiles. Some of the Soviet short-range weapons, which NATO cannot match, could reach much of Western Europe.
On Feb. 28, Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev agreed to negotiations on NATO’s zero-zero option, the elimination of the medium-range cruises, Pershings and SS-20s.
An agreement should be reached “without delay,” and then the shorter-range missiles would be dealt with, Gorbachev said.
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