Reagan Calls for Senate OK of Arms Pact

President Reagan on Saturday stepped up pressure on the Democratic-controlled Senate to ratify the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty before his summit meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev later this month.

In his weekly radio address, Reagan asserted that the U.S.-Soviet treaty eliminating ground-launched nuclear weapons with ranges between 300 and 3,400 miles is “a landmark accomplishment” that has widespread support among the American people as well as an overwhelming majority of members of the House.

“Senate approval of the treaty will enable us to get on with the job of eliminating these nuclear missiles,” he said. “It will also allow us to put into action the elaborate verification regime that we achieved in the INF treaty.

“The most stringent in arms control history, it will enable us to verify effectively that the Soviets are indeed complying with all of the treaty’s provisions.”

Administration Frustrated

His speech reflected a feeling of frustration within the Reagan Administration with the slow pace of the Senate’s consideration of the treaty. The Senate, which received the treaty on Jan. 25 and has screened it through three committees, is scheduled to begin debate on it this week. It is still uncertain whether the pact can be formally ratified before Reagan’s arrival in Moscow on May 29.

Administration officials have been seeking Senate ratification before the summit starts because it would create a better atmosphere in which Reagan and Gorbachev can discuss the terms of another proposed treaty limiting long-range, strategic nuclear weapons.

“Let the debate be vigorous and full and let it proceed without delay,” the President said. “For I am confident that the final vote will indeed give advice and consent to this historic treaty, the historic step toward a safer peace.”

Although Senate Democrats are nearly unanimous in support of the treaty, they have frequently complained about the Administration’s handling of the ratification process. On April 29, Senate Democratic leaders said there were still at least four major unresolved issues that could delay a final vote.

Hours of Testimony

In response, Reagan noted that Administration officials have spent hours testifying about the treaty, “painstakingly responding to the detailed questions posed to them.” In addition, he said his aides have provided full, written responses to more than 1,200 written questions submitted by senators.

The President said the treaty is a good one because it was negotiated by the United States from a position of strength.

“It is after all a solid treaty, carefully negotiated, a treaty that stands on its own substantive merits, a treaty that will enhance the security of our country and that of our European and Asian allies now threatened by the various Soviet missiles that will be removed once the treaty is implemented,” he said.

Members of the three Senate committees concerned--Foreign Relations, Armed Services and Intelligence--will meet with the Democratic leadership on Tuesday to determine whether the Administration has satisfied all questions about the treaty.