Reagan Poured ‘Cold Rain’ on Pact--Soviets

A Foreign Ministry spokesman today accused President Reagan of pouring a “cold rain” on prospects for a nuclear arms accord, despite West German movement on a key issue, by using anti-Soviet rhetoric in a speech Wednesday.

The spokesman, Gennady Gerasimov, said the chances of concluding an arms reduction agreement with the United States have “changed for the better” since West Germany agreed to eliminate 72 Pershing 1-A missiles from its territory.

Just hours before Reagan’s speech, Chancellor Helmut Kohl announced that West Germany would dismantle the aging Pershings with U.S.-controlled warheads, which the Soviets wanted to include in talks, if the superpowers scrapped missiles with ranges of 300 to 3,000 miles.

‘A Number of Conditions’

“After the statement of Chancellor Kohl the situation has changed for the better,” Gerasimov said. “But I must warn you that we are studying the conditions attached and there are quite a number of conditions.”

He said Reagan’s speech “gives rise to a serious fear over the fate of an historic agreement on the global elimination of medium and shorter-range missiles.”

Reagan predicted an agreement with the Soviets could be wrapped up “promptly,” but he reiterated his criticism of Soviet behavior around the world and demanded more than an arms pact for truly reduced tensions.

“If the U.S. really wants the agreement it should constructively respond to the Soviet proposal, rather than aggravate relations between the two countries,” Gerasimov said.

‘A Very Cold Rain’

“At this delicate point we have met a very cold rain,” he said. “It has almost become a rule that before every important Soviet-American meeting, the American side starts to play up the hostility. It happened like this last year and the year before. Now unfortunately the President has started to do it.”

In a personal swipe at Reagan, Gerasimov said the President adopted the tone of a “tired little mentor” preaching to a naughty schoolboy.

In a related matter, Gerasimov denied news reports earlier this week by The Times and today by the British Broadcasting Corp. that Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev plans to travel to the United States in September to address the United Nations or to meet with Reagan.