Reagan and 15 NATO Chiefs Open Talks Today : Summit in Brussels Comes at a Time of Alliance Uncertainty

President Reagan flew to Europe on a protective mission Tuesday, seeking to bolster unity among the NATO allies during a period of new uncertainty about the future of Western security cooperation.

He arrived at Zaventem Airport outside Brussels on a moonlit, chilly evening, conferred briefly with Belgium’s acting prime minister, Wilfried Martens, and headed directly to his quarters here, Chateau Stuyvenberg, an approximately 150-year-old brick and glazed stone structure that has been an unofficial residence of several Belgian monarchs. He told reporters that he was bothered by an allergy and that his ears were “stopped up” after the flight.

Reagan and the leaders of the 15 other nations making up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gathered for a summit for the first time in nearly six years.

The meetings today and Thursday occur at a time of uncertainty in the Atlantic Alliance: With the anticipated elimination of about 2,000 U.S. and Soviet missiles deployed in Europe, the Western nations are examining the strength of their conventional, or non-nuclear, forces and are debating the modernization of the remaining short-range nuclear weapons to improve their range and accuracy.

Apparent Agreement

During a meeting in Washington last month, Reagan and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl apparently agreed to set aside any debate over the short-range missiles. There is considerable political sentiment in West Germany for eliminating the weapons entirely.

Leaving the White House, Reagan sought to assure Europe that the U.S.-Soviet agreement removing the medium-range land-based missiles--those with ranges of 300 to 3,400 miles--from Europe will not mean a lessened American interest in the 39-year-old alliance or in the joint defense of Europe.

The President declared: “Our first priority is to maintain a strong and healthy partnership between North America and Europe. We will never sacrifice the interests of this partnership in any agreement with the Soviet Union.”

But Reagan’s statement also served to put the Soviet Union on notice that any effort to weaken the alliance by playing on European concerns about the remaining, short-range nuclear missiles--those with ranges of less than 300 miles--would be unsuccessful.

‘Barking Up the Wrong Tree’

“Anybody who thinks they’re going to be driving a wedge between us is barking up the wrong tree,” a White House arms control expert predicted.

If Reagan is facing one area of difficulty in his two days of meetings with the other NATO leaders, a Pentagon official said, it is over the United States’ continued efforts to maintain pressure on the allies to continue on the path of greater defense spending, even as the growth of the U.S. defense budget is being sharply restricted.

Expressed Skepticism

“What do you tell these guys--go on and do something we’re not going to do?” the official asked. Expressing skepticism about the prospects for tangible results in the budget arena, he said that whether Reagan “applies the soft stroke” or takes a harsh approach in the meetings, “it sounds like a lot of cosmetics.”

After years of criticizing the other members of NATO for failing to meet commitments to boost defense spending by about 3% annually, U.S. officials are acknowledging that the European commitment to NATO is generally on track.

But Reagan’s fiscal 1989 defense budget submitted last month to Congress is essentially level with the current year’s spending. Indeed, Pentagon officials point out that at approximately $299 billion, it is 10% below the level originally planned for the fiscal year that begins next Oct. 1.

Need to Strengthen Seen

With East-West arms control talks shifting to both the strategic realm and efforts to reduce the deployments of conventional weapons and ground troops in Europe, White House officials see the need to strengthen non-nuclear weaponry as an important element in the NATO defense equation.

Thus, U.S. officials view NATO’s conventional defense improvements as the equivalent of the 1979 decision to deploy Pershing 2 and cruise missiles while also seeking to negotiate the elimination of these weapons and Soviet medium-range weapons.

“The President will be making these points,” the White House official said, adding: “Is every point going to get a standing ovation? No. There are some differences in point of view among the Europeans as to how you look at things.”

France’s President Mitterrand may have periled NATO plans for a smooth summit. Page 6.