THE VENICE SUMMIT : Allies Agree on Goals for Arms Control

The seven leaders of the world’s major industrialized democracies, after a rare exchange of nuclear defense philosophies that lasted until midnight, produced a carefully worded statement Tuesday supporting American moves toward arms control.

In the French view, the philosophical discussion may have been just as important as the statement. French officials described the dinner talks excitedly in a 2 a.m. press briefing.

The briefing came at that hour because French President Francois Mitterrand, after leaving the official dinner in the Palazzo Ca’ Corner at midnight, decided to take a stroll. Three officials accompanied him and took notes as the 70-year-old president talked enthusiastically about the nuclear discussions at dinner.

According to the officials, who briefed reporters afterward, Mitterrand thought that the depth of the discussion on nuclear disarmament had rarely been matched at any other summit.

‘Flexible Response’

The French officials said that President Reagan, under the friendly questioning of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, expounded his belief in the need for “flexible response”--the long-standing American defense philosophy holding that nuclear weapons of various sizes are needed to meet whatever kind of attack is mounted.

Mitterrand, in response, according to the French, expounded his belief in the theory of deterrence--the philosophy that offensive nuclear weapons must be so powerful that no enemy would be so foolhardy as to risk an attack.

French officials said the two philosophies did not exclude each other. But Mitterrand, they said, told Reagan that while France and other European allies support what is known as “the double-zero option” in nuclear disarmament negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union, they are also nervous about it.

The Western Europeans fear that the elimination by both sides of intermediate- and short-range missiles from the Continent would leave the West without any way to deter a Soviet attack. In the back of these critics’ minds is a feeling that the United States might not use its intercontinental ballistic missiles to retaliate if Western Europe were attacked.

But according to the French officials, Reagan assured them that “Europe remains the first line of defense for America.”

‘Continuing Importance’

The statement on nuclear disarmament the leaders issued later Tuesday appeared to reflect some of both philosophies. While supporting the American effort to negotiate “a balanced, substantial and verifiable reduction in nuclear weapons,” the statement also reaffirms “the continuing importance of nuclear deterrence in preserving peace.”

The statement’s support for negotiations was strong but general: “We seek a comprehensive effort to lower tensions and to achieve verifiable arms reductions. . . . We note with satisfaction that dialogue on arms control has intensified and that more favorable prospects have emerged for the reduction of nuclear forces.”

The leaders, reflecting European concern that an arms control treaty might leave them without much of a defense against the enormous numbers of Soviet troops and against chemical weapons, went on to say, “We emphasize our determination to enhance conventional stability at a lower level of forces and achieve the total elimination of chemical weapons.”

And it concluded: “We urge the Soviet Union to negotiate in a positive and constructive manner. An effective resolution of these issues is an essential requirement for real and enduring stability in the world.”