NATO Sees Opportunity With Soviets : Says Changes Offer Unprecedented Hope for Improvement

NATO foreign ministers today said the enormous changes under way in the Soviet Union offer an unprecedented opportunity for improved international relations.

“We will continue to seize every opportunity to cooperate in the search for political solutions to East-West differences,” the ministers said in a statement ending a two-day meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

But they also urged “tangible and lasting changes” from the Soviet Union to help solve the problems dividing East and West.

The statement cited the announcement Wednesday by Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev that the Soviets will unilaterally reduce their armed forces by 500,000 troops, or nearly 10%, and withdraw some conventional weapons from Eastern Europe. The move would still leave the Warsaw Pact with more conventional weapons and troops in Europe than NATO has.

Strong Defense Urged

Secretary of State George P. Shultz stressed again that the allies must maintain a strong defense effort even in the wake of the Soviet initiatives.

“Being encouraged doesn’t mean that you just go bananas and forget about what got you here, and so you want to keep doing the things that are constructive,” he told a news conference.

Shultz, who has met with NATO ministers in Brussels and elsewhere over about seven years on the job, was attending his last alliance session.

“The alliance, it seems to me, is in a very strong position,” he said. “It’s cohesive, it’s informed about what is taking place.”

Intentions Not Enough

NATO Secretary-General Manfred Woerner said, “We cannot base our security on the good or bad intentions or personality of the Soviet leaders.”

“We look upon Mr. Gorbachev with sympathy and encourage his reform efforts . . . while they lead to more human rights and a more responsible conduct of foreign affairs and a reduction in military capability,” he said.

Gorbachev’s address Wednesday at the United Nations, the ministers said, “represents the starting point of a new approach by the Soviet Union to the size and structure of their military forces and programs.”

Sir Geoffrey Howe, the British secretary of state for foreign affairs, said the speech was filled with “realism and good sense.”

“It does offer up encouraging prospects for seeking new solutions to old problems,” he told reporters.

The officials said in their statement they welcomed Gorbachev’s move. “This implicitly acknowledges our long-held view that redressing the conventional imbalance is the key to more security and stability in Europe.”