Bonn to Accept Missile Cuts--on 1 Condition

The West German government, bowing to pressure at home and from abroad, said today that it will accept, with one major condition, Soviet proposals for removing medium- and shorter-range nuclear missiles from Europe.

The decision apparently clears the way for a united NATO stance on the issue.

Differences over the Soviet offers within the Bonn coalition government had held up a joint North Atlantic Treaty Organization response. Top-ranking U.S. officials and several West European members of the alliance already support Moscow’s plan.

After a meeting that lasted nearly four hours, Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s government issued a statement expressing support for the Soviet proposals. But the statement said the 72 Pershing 1A missiles controlled by West Germany should remain outside any Soviet-U.S. agreement to remove nuclear missiles from Europe.

Under U.S. Control

The Pershing 1A missiles, which have a range of 450 miles, are operated by the West Germans, but their nuclear warheads are under U.S. control.

A U.S. official said in Washington that today’s conditional approval by West Germany could clear the way for a U.S. deal with Moscow removing hundreds of medium-range rockets from Europe. The official, who insisted on anonymity, stressed that this “still has to be a NATO decision” and said Bonn’s insistence that Pershing 1A missiles be excluded from an accord is a serious reservation.

Many of the missiles covered in the Soviet proposals are based in West Germany, and Bonn’s response to the Kremlin offer is considered vital to helping forge a common NATO response.

Kohl Regime Divided

Bonn immediately accepted Soviet proposals on removing medium-range missiles, which can travel more than 600 miles. However, the plan on eliminating missiles with a range of from 300 to 600 miles divided Kohl’s government.

Kohl and other members of his conservative Christian Democratic Party initially strongly opposed the plan, saying removal of shorter-range missiles would leave West Germany exposed to the more numerous conventional forces of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.