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Voice of America 3/27/97

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

BYLINE=FRANCIS RONALDS
TELEPHONE=619-3937
DATELINE=WASH
EDITOR=NANCY SMART

CONTENT= // ACTUALITIES IN AUDIO SERVICES //

INTRO: IN RESPONSE TO AN INITIATIVE BY THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL OF THE UNITED STATES, A NON-GOVERNMENTAL GROUPS THAT SUPPORTS NATO, SIXTY-ONE GENERALS AND ADMIRALS FROM SEVENTEEN COUNTRIES RECENTLY CALLED JOINTLY FOR RAPID NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT UNDER A WORLDWIDE VERIFICATION SYSTEM. TWO AMERICAN GENERALS WHO WORKED TOGETHER IN THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL WELCOME THE NEW U.S-RUSSIAN AGREEMENT ON REDUCING NUCLEAR ARMS AS A MOVE TOWARD THE GOALS CALLED FOR BY THE SIGNATORIES OF THE INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT, WHO INCLUDED 18 RUSSIANS AND 19 AMERICANS. WITH BACKGROUND, HERE IS FRANK RONALDS.

HOST: GENERAL GOODPASTER WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE JOINT STATEMENT ON FUTURE REDUCTIONS IN NUCLEAR FORCES, REACHED BY RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN AND UNITED STATES PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON IN HELSKINKI A WEEK AGO. NOW RETIRED, GENERAL GOODPASTER SERVED IN THE 1970S AS SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER IN EUROPE:

TAPE: CUT ONE -- GOODPASTER

"THE JOINT STATEMENT ON THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS FROM THE HELSINKI AGREEMENT TAKES US DOWN JUST THE RIGHT ROAD, I BELIEVE, TO CONTINUE THE PROCESS OF MAKING REDUCTIONS IN THE OVERALL ARSENALS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS."

HOST: BESIDES THE STRATEGIC NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEALT WITH IN HELSINKI, GENERAL GOODPASTER BELIEVES THAT EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO DISMANTLE TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS AS WELL. RUSSIA IS BELIEVED TO HAVE FROM TEN TO FIFTEEN THOUSAND SUCH WEAPONS, PERHAPS TEN TIMES AS MANY AS THE UNITED STATES. THEY PRESENT NO DIRECT THREAT TO U-S SECURITY, GENERAL GOODPASTER SAYS, BUT THEY DO PRESENT THE POSSIBILITY OF NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION:

TAPE: CUT TWO -- GOODPASTER

"IT WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT TO TAKE UP THE ISSUE OF THE TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND REACH AGREEMENT ON DISMANTLING THEM, GETTING RID OF THEM AS THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME. POTENTIAL PROLIFERATION IS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS. AS LONG AS THEY EXIST, THE POSSIBILITY OF THEIR BEING STOLEN OR DIVERTED IN SOME WAY WILL EXIST AS WELL. AND THE SOLUTION TO THAT IS CERTAINLY THE SIMPLE ONE OF GETTING RID OF THEM."

HOST: THE AGREEMENT REACHED IN HELSINKI WAS AIMED AT OVERCOMING THE OBJECTION WITHIN THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT TO RATIFICATION OF START TWO. START TWO WAS SIGNED BY PRESIDENT YELTSIN AND THEN U-S PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH ON JANUARY 3, 1993, AND RATIFIED BY THE U-S SENATE LAST YEAR. BUT THE RUSSIAN DUMA OBJECTS TO THE TREATY BECAUSE IT CALLS FOR THE COMPLETE ELIMINATION OF ALL LAND-BASED MULTIPLE WARHEAD MISSILES, OF WHICH RUSSIA HAS MORE THAN THE UNITED STATES. A COMPROMISE WAS REACHED AT HELSINKI WHEREBY, IMMEDIATELY UPON RATIFICATION OF START TWO, THE TWO POWERS WOULD NEGOTIATE A START THREE AGREEMENT. THAT AGREEMENT WOULD FURTHER REDUCE LEVELS OF STRATEGIC NUCLEAR WEAPONS BY 1,000 WARHEADS AND ACHIEVE PARITY BETWEEN THE TWO POWERS. GENERAL EDWARD ROWNY, WHO SERVED FOR SIX YEARS AS AMERICAN MILITARY ADVISER ON THE START TWO NEGOTIATIONS, SAYS THIS SUGGESTION FOR A SOLUTION TO THE IMPASSE CAME FROM THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL -- THE SAME GROUP WHICH ARRANGED FOR THE STATEMENT OF THE 61 GENERALS AND ADMIRALS:

TAPE: CUT THREE -- ROWNY

"THE ORIGINAL IDEA OF GOING TO START THREE CAME FROM OUR LITTLE GROUP, THE STANDING POLICY GROUP OF THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL. AND THEN WE COULD MOVE RAPIDLY ON TO LOWERING THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS FROM THEIR PRESENT TOTAL OF 6,000 ON THEIR SIDE AND 6,000 ON OUR SIDE, WHERE WE ARE NOW, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO A RANGE OF FROM 2,000 TO 2,500."

HOST: OF THE 18 RUSSIAN GENERALS AND ADMIRALS WHO SIGNED THE STATEMENT ON WORKING TOWARD ELIMINATION OF ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS, TWO HOLD KEY POSITIONS WITHIN THE DUMA. GENERAL LEV ROKHLIN IS CHAIRMAN OF THE DUMA DEFENSE COMMITTEE, AND GENERAL BORIS GROMOV IS VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE DUMA INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. GENERAL ROWNY COMMENTS:

TAPE: CUT FOUR -- ROWNY

"IF THEY ARE IN FAVOR OF GOING DOWN TO ZERO, THEY CERTAINLY OUGHT TO BE IN FAVOR OF GOING DOWN TO FROM 2,000 TO 2,500. AND THEY SHOULD CONVINCE THE COMMUNISTS AND NATIONALISTS IN THE DUMA THAT THIS IS IN THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL INTEREST."

HOST: GENERAL GOODPASTER SAYS THAT IT MAY NOW SEEM AN IDEALISTIC DREAM TO ELIMINATE ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS. BUT, HE SAYS, THE PROCESS SHOULD BE PUSHED ALONG AS FAST AS POSSIBLE:

TAPE: CUT FIVE -- GOODPASTER

"I MYSELF THINK THAT WE CAN GET DOWN TO A LEVEL OF NO MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED, PERHAPS ONE HUNDRED WEAPONS. IT WILL TAKE US TEN YEARS OF WORK OF DISMANTLING AT THE RATE OF ABOUT 2,000 A YEAR -- THE RATE AT WHICH WE BUILT THESE THINGS -- TO REACH THAT LEVEL, AND WE WOULD HOPE FOR AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE WORLD SECURITY ENVIRONMENT DURING THAT PERIOD. IT THAT OCCURS, AND IF WE STUDY THE PROBLEMS OF VERIFICATION, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE, BY THE END OF THAT TIME, TO SEE OUR WAY TO GET DOWN TO ZERO, IN WAYS THAT CAN BE CONFIDENTLY VERIFIED."

HOST: ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MANY SPECIALISTS IN THE WEST WHO DOUBT THE POSSIBILITY OF COMPLETELY ELIMINATING NUCLEAR WEAPONS, VIRTUALLY ALL OF THEM APPROVE MOVING RAPIDLY TO START THREE, AS SOON AS START TWO IS RATIFIED BY THE RUSSIAN DUMA. (SIGNED)

NEB/FSR/NES

27-Mar-97 3:34 PM EST (2034 UTC)
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