Soviet Officials on Summit: Bury ‘Corpse of Cold War’

Leading Soviet officials today called for burying the “corpse of the Cold War” and lauded President Reagan for his pledge to come to next week’s summit in search of peace.

Some of the nation’s top advisers on foreign policy met with reporters to discuss the summit and its significance for relations between the superpowers. They generally forecast improving relations.

“Previously, our goals were more limited,” U.S. affairs expert Georgy A. Arbatov said, observing that Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev in the past focused on easing tensions built up since World War II.

“Now, we have the possibility to move toward demilitarization of Soviet-American relations,” said Arbatov, head of the USA-Canada Institute in Moscow.

He compared the Cold War to a dying patient kept alive by artificial means. The task at hand for Reagan and Gorbachev is to bury “this corpse of the Cold War, which with the help of artificial means--political Adrenalin and the political machinery of an artificial heart--has been maintained in a semi-living state.”

He said he was happy to concede that his view of Reagan had changed from that of a cold warrior to a statesman with whom the Kremlin can work.

Marshal Sergei F. Akhromeyev, military chief of staff, restated the Kremlin position that there is no Soviet superiority in conventional weapons in Europe or excessive military spending. But asked for details, Akhromeyev made the rare acknowledgement that the reported defense budget does not reflect spending on research, development and production of weapons.

Arbatov dismissed foreign assessments that Soviet defense spending is as high as 19% of total budget as speculation but conceded that Soviet military spending is proportionately higher than in the United States because the Soviet gross national product is lower while the demands of security are equal.

Poking fun at the United States, Arbatov said the Soviet military “cannot do as the United States does and sell toilet seats for $700 or a hammer for $150.”