U.S., Soviets to Resume Nuclear Talks : Baker, Shevardnadze Reach Agreement at Moscow Meeting

The United States and the Soviet Union will resume negotiations on strategic nuclear arms reductions in mid-June, a Soviet spokesman announced today.

Gennady I. Gerasimov, spokesman for the Soviet Foreign Ministry, said the agreement was reached during the first day of talks between visiting U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze.

Gerasimov said the next round of talks on nuclear and space weapons will probably resume in Geneva either June 12 or June 19 and last for six weeks. He said that the Soviets had wanted the negotiations to begin again in May but that the Americans demurred.

He said the U.S. side explained that Richard Burt, who has been nominated by President George Bush to head the U.S. bargaining team, probably would not be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in time to resume talks this month.

Regional Issues

The two leaders met for almost three hours today after Baker’s arrival from Helsinki for his visit to the Soviet Union.

The discussions began with regional issues, such as the Middle East and Afghanistan, and included arms control, human rights, regional problems and direct U.S.-Soviet relations.

Gerasimov said the subject of short-range missiles in Europe, which has caused a rift in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, did not come up today.

He had told reporters earlier that at the request of the U.S. side, Baker and Shevardnadze concentrated on regional conflicts, rather than nuclear weapons.

‘Last of the Cold War’

“Dealing with regional problems will enable us to get the last of the Cold War behind us and move into a new stage of our relationship,” Gerasimov said.

“We are very pleased with the way things started,” said Baker, who is making his first trip to the Soviet Union.

The two sides found common ground on Central America, Gerasimov said. “Both sides stated there was good potential for a furthering of dialogue on a Central American settlement,” he said.

Baker wants the Soviets to curb their aid to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, which amounted to $500 million last year. The Soviets also raised the subject of Afghanistan, which Baker had no intention of bringing up because the Kremlin is demanding that the United States halt its military aid to Afghan rebels.

According to Gerasimov, Baker and Shevardnadze also discussed U.S. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney’s prediction that perestroika, the restructuring program of President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, will fail.

Baker explained that Cheney’s remarks did not reflect Washington’s official position and Shevardnadze did not take offense, Gerasimov said.