WORLD : U.S.-Soviet Arms Talks Resume

U.S.-Soviet talks aimed at halving their strategic nuclear arsenals resumed today after a seven-month break with a meeting of the two sides’ new chief negotiators.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START), interrupted to allow President Bush to carry out a defense review after taking office in January, seek a 50% cut in strategic nuclear arms with a range of 3,400 miles or over.

The talks began with a first meeting between Richard Burt, the new chief U.S. negotiator, and his Soviet counterpart, Yuri Nazarkin, that lasted more than an hour and 20 minutes.

Burt, a former journalist and West German ambassador, played a major role in strategic arms negotiations under former President Ronald Reagan. Nazarkin, a chemical weapons expert, led the Soviet delegation at the 40-nation Geneva conference on disarmament until being appointed to replace Alexei Obukhov.