Reagan Sees Increased Chance for Nuclear Arms Agreement : On Contra Aid, He Says Ban Didn’t Apply to Him and Law Wasn’t Broken

President Reagan said today that he sees an “increased opportunity” for a nuclear arms agreement this year as well as a third meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

Reagan also said at an open-air news conference that he feels a congressional ban against aid to the contra rebels did not apply to him personally, and added that in any event, “I don’t think the law was broken.”

“I told you all the truth that first day after everything hit the fan . . . how we had opened the negotiations (with Iran) . . . having nothing to do with the contras,” he said.

“And, that word had come to me that I had not been kept informed. So, evidently, maybe some people gave the impression they were acting on orders from me, but I wasn’t giving orders.”

Gives Faint Praise

The President gave a lukewarm endorsement to Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams, who misled Congress concerning aid to the contras. And, asked about an alleged $200,000 fund to benefit Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, the former National Security Council aide whom he fired and then called a national hero, Reagan said, “I’m going to wait until he has his day in court.”

And Reagan repeated that he never gave anyone orders to assist the rebels during the cutoff in aid, despite the impression left by some witnesses at Congress’ televised hearings. He acknowledged that he was aware of efforts by private individuals to raise funds for the contras but said he did no soliciting himself.

The President fielded questions in a sun-splashed garden on the island of Guidecca, his home during the Venice summit. He was meeting with European businessmen later in the day.

Media Blitz Begun

Reagan’s question-and-answer session was televised live in the United States. He thus began a media blitz to place his imprint on the outcome of the summit and promote the pending superpower arms agreement.

The effort will include his regular radio address on Saturday, a nationally televised Oval Office speech on Monday and a news conference on Tuesday with regional U.S. reporters.

He opened with a statement claiming success at the summit, but the questions turned immediately to superpower relations, tensions in the Persian Gulf and, especially, the Iran-contra hearings that have competed with the summit for headlines.

He was asked whether the economic summit and a NATO meeting beginning today would advance prospects for a Reagan-Gorbachev summit to conclude a new arms pact. He said he was like a ballplayer during a no-hitter, suspicious of speculating on good news to come. Nonetheless, he added:

“I can’t deny that I believe there is an increased opportunity for a summit conference and an increased opportunity for an actual reduction of armaments, particularly of the nuclear kind.”

Invited to Visit

As for a possible third meeting with Gorbachev, he said, “All I know is that we have made it plain that they have the invitation (to visit the United States) and we are waiting for them.”

Asked why Gorbachev seems to have a better reputation as a man of peace than he does among Europeans, Reagan replied that Gorbachev was “the first Soviet leader in my memory who has ever advocated actually eliminating weapons already built and in place.”

But Reagan said he had made the same proposal four years ago.

“We’ve been trying to get this for years, and I am glad he (Gorbachev) has suggested this,” Reagan said. “We believe we have a good chance of bringing about the beginning of reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons.”

On congressional criticism that America’s allies are not doing enough to help protect the Persian Gulf oil lanes, Reagan said he was “gratified completely” by the diplomatic support given by his summit partners.

He said he has not sought military help from U.S. allies, and none has been offered.

Reagan defended the allies’ position on the gulf, saying that “I think it has been excellent that there has been no criticism from our allies about this.”

The President was referring to his plan to begin escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers under U.S. flag protection.