Summit Scorecard

The developments: As the 17th annual summit came to a close, the leaders of the seven largest industrial democracies gave their political support to President Mikhail S. Gorbachev in his efforts to transform his nation into a democracy and a market-oriented economy. But they stopped short of pledging massive economic aid. President Bush and Gorbachev also reached agreement on the long-awaited Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and announced plans for a summit in Moscow on July 30-31.

* The Group of Seven failed to break their impasse on the Uruguay Round of global trade-liberalization talks now being held in Geneva. Members expressed hope that the trade talks could be completed by the end of the year. But they offered no new compromises.

* Some analysts believe that START will be the last arms reduction accord the two superpowers will sign. Relations between the two have improved considerably since the START talks began nine years ago, and no one wants to begin another marathon negotiation.

Gorbachev is expected to return to Moscow with at least some enhanced prestige in the wake of his meetings. But he will still have a difficult time at home selling conservatives and hard-liners on the process without sizable Western aid.

The G-7’s six-point plan includes specific “technical assistance” to help the Soviets develop energy resources, convert defense industries to civilian use, improve distribution of food and increase nuclear safety and transportation.

On tap today: Bush is scheduled to visit Greece, then go to Turkey on Saturday before returning to Washington on Monday afternoon. His visit to Turkey is to acknowledge the help given by Turkish President Turgut Ozal during the Persian Gulf War.

We’re going through a difficult time now. We shall find our way through this period, we will pull ourselves out, whether you help us or not. That’s not the point--we are not even talking about assistance here. We are talking about a new quality of cooperation when we become organically part of the world’s economic space.”

Soviet President Gorbachev

G-wisdom: The annual seven-nation economic summit conference wasn’t always known as the Group of Seven--or G-7, in international economic jargon. Until this year, the term was applied solely to a group of finance ministers and central bankers from the summit countries, which meets informally several times a year to discuss economic policy questions. Actually, until recently, the G-7 was the G-5--comprising only the United States, West Germany, Japan, Britain and France. Canada and Italy were added in 1986 after complaining that they were being left out of decisions that directly affected their economies.