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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1988)
l Page 12/The Battalion/Friday, April 22, 1988 World and Nation Atmosphere favorable in wake of accord, but no breakthrough MOSCOW (AP) — Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze and U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz discussed human rights and regional conflicts Thursday but reached no breakthroughs despite a “constructive atmosphere” and less contention over Afghanistan. Last week’s signing of an accord setting a May 15 start for the with drawal of Soviet troops from Af ghanistan “certainly has been a posi- t i v e development,” State Department spokesman Charles Redman said. He said the apparent im provement in the Afghanistan situa tion made that issue less contentious, but that the war and its consequences were not a “closed book.” Questions of monitoring the pullout and help ing Afghan refugees continue to confront U.S. and Soviet of ficials, he said. Both Redman and Foreign Min istry spokesman Vadim Perfiliev praised the mood at the talks be tween Shultz and Shevardnadze, who have been meeting monthly since February in preparation for the Moscow summit meeting that be gins May 29. Perfiliev described the exchanges as being held in “a constructive at mosphere,” and Redman said the ministers have made it their practice to get down to serious work on the issues that divide them. “I would say that as always there is a good atmosphere at the talks,” Redman said. A U.S. official who spoke on con dition of anonymity said the meet ings had produced “a modicum of Reagan concerned about treaty ratification SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) —President Reagan said Thursday he is “very concerned” that the Senate may not ratify the pending U.S.-Soviet arms control treaty before he goes to Moscow for summit talks with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev. In a question-and-answer session after a speech to the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts, Rea gan was asked by a law student what the effect on the talks would be if the Senate had not yet ratified the treaty. “I think it would be very upsetting and would put a strain on the summit if the Senate has not ratified the treaty by the time we go there,” the president said. “We hope and pray that they will, but their schedul ing of it has been such that I am very concerned we may have to go without having had it ratif ied,” he said. Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., said the Senate won’t rush to ratify the treaty. “We want a good treaty, that is our objective,” Byrd said, telling reporters that the approach of the Moscow summit “doesn’t guide me at all.” He added: “I’m not going to rush to judgment.” The pending treaty, covering intermediate and shorter-range missiles, was signed by Reagan and Gor bachev at their summit meeting in Washington in De cember. When the two leaders meet again in Moscow May 29 to June 2, one of the issues confronting them will be a treaty still being negotiated that would cover longer- range intercontinental nuclear missiles. Of this treaty, Reagan said, “There is a great Question as to whether it could be ready for signature at tne sum mit.” “We don’t want a fast treaty,” he said. “We want a good one.” On another issue, the president was asked about a trade bill being considered on Capitol Hill. Reagan said that if it reaches his desk in its present form, he will veto it. He also said he would immediately ask Congress to enact a new bill that did not contain provisions to which the administration objects. progress” on several fronts. He said arms control experts met in a working session while Shultz and Shevardnadze agreed on proce dures for joint experiments in nu clear testing to begin in July, at both the U.S. test range in Nevada and at the Soviet facility in Semipalatinsk. Soviet officials also introduced proposed new language outlining the Kremlin’s stand on space-based weaponry, but U.S. negotiators were not immediately sure how to assess it pending translation. “They were good, solid, business like meetings,” the of ficial said, but he added, “I don’t have anything of a breakthrough to point to.” Shultz flew in from Helsinki, Fin land, early in the day for what is ex pected to he his last working session in the Soviet capital before President Reagan’s visit. A meeting with Mikhail S. Gorba chev and discussions on arms con trol, including the dimming pros pects for concluding a treaty halving strategic weapons stockpiles before the summit, were on Shultz’s agenda for Friday. Gorbachev and Reagan signed an accord ridding both of their nations of medium- and shorter-range mis siles at the December summit. They called at the time for another pact cutting strategic arms by 50 percent, but negotiations in Geneva have been proceeding slowly. U.S. officials have said that prob lems in verifying compliance with the accord and a dispute over space- based defenses are holding up an agreement. Redman told reporters at a brief ing that as usual, Shultz began his talks with Shevardnadze on humani tarian issues, like the plight of Soviet Jews refused permission to emigrate and each side’s contention that basic freedoms are infringed in the other country. |I La Blanca swimweai; nautical and nice World Briefs No smoking takes effect on flights WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal ban on cigarette smoking on domestic flights of two hours or less — about 80 per cent of the total — takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Before hand, some avid smokers are re considering train travel while oth ers search for ways to keep their tobacco urges under control, at least for a few hours. Government and airline try officials said Thnrsdav expect the new smokingresii tions to cause few problem though some confusionmayii for the first few days. “On the whole 1 thinkw'n reasonably good shape out Fransportation Secretan Burnley said. NASA completes test of new boostei i/ol BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (AP) — A full-scale firing of the rede signed space shuttle booster rocket Wednesday was cautiously hailed as a step toward America’s resumption of manned space flights next August. But Morton Thiokol and NASA officials said it will take a week to 10 days to verify that the two-minute test, the first of three final tests required beforeii tie launch, was a complwJ cess. The test was the first(i firing in which deliberaej were introduced in critical seals, one of which failtcj caused the destruction i shuttle Challenger 2i i ago. FCC fines two dial-a-porn operate WASHINGTON (AP) —The Federal Communications Com mission on Thursday ordered two California dial-a-porn opera tors to pay fines totaling $1.2 mil lion for failing to restrict access of obscene messages to children and non-consenting adults. The companies, Audiol prises. Inc., and Inttrc “It’s time we took steps,” said FCC Commissioner James H. Quello. "The ultimate in sleaze deserves the ultimate . . . penal ty” Inc ., were each finedifti for violation of statues k the interstate transmis obscene material and fiiss restrict such transmission!d minors and non-con adults. An FCC spokesman, i Brock, _said the $600">: were based on the at money the companies n ing the commission's me: j Is® %K Sea-going styles for those in shipshape. Stripes that stretch. Stripes that slim. Stripes that curve. Stripes ahoy! 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