U.S.-Soviet Summit Date: May 30-June 3

President Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev will hold their second summit meeting in Washington from May 30 to June 3, the two countries announced Thursday.

The dates are about two weeks earlier than expected. U.S. and Soviet officials said that the summit apparently was advanced primarily to accommodate the crowded schedules of Bush and Gorbachev.

Soviet Foreign Ministry spokesman Gennady I. Gerasimov said the meeting will be “a working visit, no time for sightseeing.” It is expected to take place in or around Washington, with no visits by Gorbachev to America’s heartland or the West Coast, although a trip to Bush’s summer home at Kennebunkport, Me., has been rumored.

Bush said that the summit would provide “time for a lot of dialogue and a lot of discussion.” White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater called it a “tough love” summit, with the crisis in Lithuania a key topic for discussion.

“Is Lithuania an issue? Yes,” said Fitzwater. “Does it affect our relationship? Yes. Will it have an effect on the summit? Depends on what happens.”

Bush and Gorbachev met last December on storm-tossed ships at the Mediterranean island of Malta. Since then, Lithuania’s drive for independence and Moscow’s intimidating efforts to persuade the Baltic state to reverse that course have threatened to strain superpower relations.

At the coming summit, Bush and Gorbachev are expected to sign new agreements to reduce chemical weapons and to implement previous nuclear test ban treaties, the officials said. In addition, the two leaders are expected to clear away remaining obstacles to a strategic arms reduction treaty (START) that will cut offensive nuclear weapons on both sides by 30% to 50%.

A proposed statement declaring that the two sides intend to continue arms negotiations beyond START is being discussed by Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze, who began three days of talks in Washington on Wednesday.

The statement may be completed by the summit date or wait until formal signing of the START agreement sometime later in the year, officials said.

“The Soviets have expressed a desire” for such a statement, a senior U.S. official said. Baker, he added, responded to the Soviets that “we’re interested in discussing the contents, the subjects (of any new negotiations) before committing to it.”

Soviet START negotiator Yuri V. Nazarin told a news conference that future negotiations could include a possible limit or ban on multiple-warhead, land-based missiles. Both sides agree that such weapons are destabilizing because they are capable of, and also tempt, a surprise attack.

“This subject is an important problem but is out of the range of the treaty we are now discussing,” Nazarin said. “This question could be dealt with in the next stage, in new negotiations, from the point of view of increasing strategic stability.”

A few hours after the formal summit announcement, Bush told reporters, “It is very important that we have these conversations.”

Standing alongside Michael Jackson at a Rose Garden ceremony honoring the pop singer, Bush said he was pleased that the summit dates had been set. “Dialogue is important. And I’m looking forward to seeing Mr. Gorbachev here,” he said.

The three days of Baker-Shevardnadze talks are scheduled to end today after a Shevardnadze visit to the White House and press conferences by the two men.

In other issues addressed during Thursday’s talks, the Soviets:

- Were clearly embarrassed by the disclosure that they had transferred SS-23 missiles, which are banned from superpower arsenals under a 1987 treaty, to three East European allies. Gerasimov said the missiles were “lost in a sense” and their discovery was “a surprise” to top Soviet leaders.

- Appeared to recognize that a neutral, unified Germany is “not a formula for stability” in Europe, senior U.S. officials said. But they continued to oppose a unified Germany becoming a member of NATO. “We want no danger from our neighbors,” Gerasimov said.

- Said that if Israel assured Moscow that Soviet Jewish emigrants would not be settled on the occupied West Bank, the Soviets would resume direct air flights of emigrants to Tel Aviv and resume diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, U.S. officials said. Gerasimov confirmed the gist of these comments.

- Indicated interest in the possibility of free elections in Afghanistan to resolve the impasse in that nation and showed “new realism” about the possibilities for settlement of the Angolan civil war, U.S. officials said.

On Wednesday, Baker and Shevardnadze engaged in an extensive discussion of Lithuania--”a serious, hardball exchange of opinion,” according to Gerasimov--in which Baker emphasized that a Soviet crackdown on the independent-minded Baltic state could set back U.S.-Soviet relations.

Baker talked tough, U.S. officials said, noting that Congress has passed resolutions pushing the Administration to recognize Lithuanian independence and that U.S. public opinion could force the Administration to react to Soviet moves in that nation.

Setting specific dates for the summit, however, may give the Soviets greater leeway in Lithuania. It probably would require a more egregious act by Moscow to make the United States cancel the summit than it would have taken to delay setting the dates.

Gorbachev’s schedule is constrained by domestic crises ranging from Lithuania to the faltering Soviet economy. He also faces crucial party meetings starting June 19 and July 2, for which he must prepare, Gerasimov said.

It was Bush, however, who proposed the summit dates that were ultimately agreed upon, U.S. officials said. The President has one out-of-town commitment during the summit period, a May 31 commencement address at West Point.

Gorbachev reportedly had accepted an invitation to address Brown University’s commencement in Providence, R.I., on the same date. But Gerasimov dismissed the report, saying “it has not been discussed at an official level.”

Meanwhile, Senate leaders said Thursday that Shevardnadze told them Gorbachev has come under mounting attack from Kremlin hard-liners for not using more force to put down Lithuania’s bid for independence.

Briefing reporters on the outcome of their hourlong meeting Wednesday night with Shevardnadze, Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Me.) and Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) said the foreign minister repeated assurances that Gorbachev does not want to resort to force to prevent Lithuania from breaking away from the Soviet Union.

However, Mitchell said the Soviet foreign minister indicated that “if things break down, he (Gorbachev) might be replaced.”

Mitchell and Dole said they told Shevardnadze that the use of force in Lithuania would jeopardize U.S.-Soviet relations and, in Mitchell’s words, “undoubtedly provoke a strong reaction in Congress.”

Staff writer Michael Ross contributed to this story.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Here are some issues likely to be discussed at the summit: START TREATY--Bush and Gorbachev will try to clear away all political disputes on a treaty to reduce numbers of strategic nuclear arms, leaving lower-level aides to complete the details. CFE TALKS--Both leaders are expected to push Conventional Forces in Europe talks--involving troops and non-nuclear arms--but no final agreement is expected. CHEMICAL WEAPONS--The two men are expected to agree on a joint approach to broader negotiations on a global ban on all chemical arms. ETHNIC UNREST--Bush seeks assurances from Gorbachev that force will not be used to prevent republics from seceding. BILATERAL ISSUES--Trade and cultural exchanges as well as cooperative environmental projects are sure to be discussed. AFGHANISTAN--Moscow wants Washington to end support for the moujahedeen fighting to oust Soviet-backed Kabul regime. CENTRAL AMERICA AND CUBA--In the wake of the election in Nicaragua, much of the heat has gone out of the Central American debate. Still, Bush is expected to urge Gorbachev to sharply reduce support for Cuba and for insurgents in El Salvador. MIDDLE EAST--Officials on both sides are hoping the two men can agree on a cooperative approach to the volatile region. HUMAN RIGHTS--The topic continues to play a key role in U.S.-Soviet talks. Bush will raise such issues as Jewish emigration while Gorbachev might discuss homelessness in America.

Compiled by a Times staff writer