The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, May 04, 1990, Page 3, Image 3
NATO allies agree to hold military summits BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The United States and its 15 Western al lies agreed Thursday to hold NATO and East-West summits this year to reach a treaty reducing troops, tanks, artillery and other non-nuclear arms. The decision was announced after Secretary of State James Baker III briefed NATO foreign ministers on a new U.S. nuclear missile cutback and on the need to adapt the alliance to a lessened Soviet military threat. NATO Secretary-General Manfred Woemer reported the alliance’s con sensus to have a summit in London in early summer and an East-West summit in Paris by year’s end. “NATO is preparing for the fu ture,’’ he said. “The Atlantic alliance is taking advantage of the historic opportunity to move from confronta tion to cooperation.” The sole sour note was an accusa tion by Woemer, the former West German defense minister, that the Soviets were “foot-dragging” in negotiations to reduce troops, tanks, artillery apd other non-nuclear forces. Baker stressed that holding the 35 nation summit depends on complet ing the Conventional Forces in Eu rope (CFE) treaty. “Unless we conclude a CFE agree ment, we should postpone a CSCE summit,” he told reporters. The CSCE, or Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, includes all the nations of Europe except Albania, along with the United States and Canada. Baker said the negotiations to limit Soviet troops in Europe to 195,000 and U.S. forces to 225,000 “have not proceeded as rapidly as we would have thought.” He said he would have a better grasp of the situation after meeting with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard lessening Easi-West tensions by pro moting human rights and reducing military frictions. Now, with NATO’s military mission rapidly diminishing, the United Slates and its allies seek to expand the role of the 35-nation or ganization. “We need a more ambitious agenda for the CSCE,” Baker said. He appealed to the Soviets to speed up the negotiations on a treaty and said he was confident Soviet Presi dent Mikhail Gorbachev “will over come this period” of slow progress. The main obstacles to a treaty are disputes over limiting airplanes and helicopters and how to monitor cut backs. Woemer said the allies agreed that a unified Germany would be a mem ber of the NATO alliance and have no chemical or nuclear weapons. In a concession to Moscow, he said, So viet troops could remain in what is now East Germany for a number of years. “We have no intention of shifting the balance to the detriment of the Soviet Union,” he said. Gorbachev reiterated only last week his opposition to NATO membership for a unified Germany, and Shevard nadze said last month the new Ger many should be “nonaligned” or possibly belong to both NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Shevardnadze in Bonn today and Saturday, and again in the Soviet Union in two weeks. He also announced, as President Bush did in Washington, that the United States would shelve plans to deploy more powerful Lance short-range nuclear missiles in West Germany and would not upgrade nuclear artil lery shells in Europe. In addition, he offered to acceler ate negotiations with the Soviets to make cuts in the current stockpile of 1,600 missiles with ranges of up to 300 miles once the CFE treaty is wrapped up. In 1975, the CSCE set a course for --- ■ Bush abandons plans for new missiles WASHINGTON (AP) - Presi dent Bush scrapped plans Thurs day for newer and more powerful battlefield nuclear weapons in Europe and called for a NATO summit to rewrite political and militar) strategy for “a new era in history.” “As democracy comes to East ern Europe and Soviet troops re turn home, there is less need for nuclear systems of the shortest range,” Bush said. His decision, canceling mod ernization of the Lance missile, amounted to a recognition of po litical realities both in Europe and in Congress. West Germany, where most of the new weapons would be based, had fiercely opposed the deploy ment since the warheads would be targeted on their countrymen in East Germany. Congress, doubt ing that the new missiles would ever be installed, had balked at Bush’s request for SI 12 million for modernization. Bush made his announcement at a wide-ranging news conference during which he also said * ‘I some times do worry” thatmilitary hard liners in the Soviet Union might oust President Mikhail Gorbachev and try to reverse democratic re forms in Eastern Europe. It was Bush’s most direct state ment ever about Gorbachev’s grip on power. Bush said Gorbachev is under ‘‘extraordinary pressure” at home because of unrest over Lithuania’s drive for independence and the ailing Soviet economy. As for weapons in Europe, the cancellation of modernization plans has been in the works for months following the collapse of the Ber lin Wall and the sweep of democ racy throughout Eastern Europe. “The revolutionary changes transforming Europe are moving us from the postwar era to a new era in history beyond containment” of Warsaw Pact forces, Bush said. He said the 16-member NATO alliance should meet in late June or early July “to launch a wide-rang ing NATO strategy review for the transformed Europe of the 1990s.” The president is to meet with Gor bachev in Washington May 30 June 3. Specifically, Bush announced he was dropping plans to deploy a more powerful short-range Lance missile to replace launchers for 700 aging warheads, based mostly in West Germany. All of the new weapons would have been targeted on East Ger many, which is moving toward a swift merger with West Germany. The new missiles would have had a range of about 250 miles, com pared with about 75 miles for the existing Lance. Bush also said he was canceling further modernization of U.S. nu clear artillery shells in Europe. West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher welcomed Bush’s announcement, saying, ‘ ‘This shows the alliance takes into account the changed conditions in their full totality.” Genscher was in Brussels, Bel gium, where Secretary of State James Baker III was briefing fel low NATO foreign ministers on the U.S. move. SENIORS Take Pride In Your University Give to the Senior Gift to improve the area around Mueller Tower. Leave a lasting reminder from: THE CLASS OF '90 For Further Information Call the Student Foundation 472-2151 ^a——— — Order your college ring NOW. AMERICA S COLLEGE RING* Open Mon-Fn 8-5 30 Sit 9 >0 Thuf* til 8pm More than ever, more than a Bookstore. We Accept Major Credit Cards life 1M0 Q stre#, <402) 475-0111 SPRING SALE! $5.78 $9.78 CASSETTES