Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-02-25
Russia Urged
To Spell Out
A-ban Offer

A-D0II VIICI
GENEVA, Feb. "a (AP).-The
chief American disarmament
negotiator challenged the So
Wet Union today to explain
what 1t means by on-site in
spection for a nuclear test ban
treaty.
United States Delegate VIII
liam C. Foster told the 17-na-
ton disarmament conference
the Soviet offer Of two or three
inspections per year is mean
ingless unless the inspection
procedure Is spelled out.
THE Soviet position Is COM
pletely unknown TO US except
for two numbers which stand
stark and alone In the middle
Of q featureless desert" Mr..
Foster declared. "And even
those numbers may be q mirage
unless we can see them organi-
cally related to some kind Of
verification system which will
give them life and meaning"
Mr.. Foster, who returned yes
terday from consultations in
Washington, recalled that the
United States had reduced its
minimum demand for inspec-
tons from eight to seven. He
limited that even that figure
was negotiable.
Must Be VerifiabIe
There Is no issue Of ours
that we have declared. to be
immutable, save the funda-
mental principle that a test ban
agreement must be adequately
verified" he said.
Mr.. Foster expressed the hope
that Soviet First Deputy For
eign Minister Vastly v. Kuznet-
SOW. who Unexpectedly left for
Moscow Saturday, would soon
return to the negotiations. He
has repeatedly described Mr..
Kuznetsov's presence at the
head Of the Soviet Delegation
rs proof of the Soviet Unions
sincere desire to negotiate a
treaty.
The Soviet position has been
completely frozen since the con-
ference resumed February IL
after a two-month recess. Mr..
Foster said Mr.. Kuznetsov's last
speech on Friday even con-
tanned q threat to withdraw
the Soviet offer OF two or three
annual inspections unless the
Western powers accept 1t with
out delay.
Western conference sources
suspected that Mr.. Kuznetsov's
departure could indicate o So
Wet determination to negoti-
ate on a test ban only In the
framework of top level East
West bargaining on such cold
war issues as Berlin and Crba.
Rigid I'm Tone
Mr.. Foster said Mr.. Kuznet-
sov's speech was 30 rigid In
tone that II felt compelled to
ask myself how we shall find
any way to overcome both the
substantive and procedural OBJ
stacles which the Soviet dele
cation Is piling up on the road
to concluding a test ban treaty.
Beyond any shadow Of Q
doubt the Soviet government
knows that-if 1t wanted them
fair, rapid and decisive nego-
tiations could begin today"
Romanian Deputy Foreign
Minister George Macovescu re-
iterated the Soviet bloc posi-.
ton that Russia has made all
the meaningful concessions and
the West has made none at ell.
The real stumbling block to
agreement, Mr.. Macovescu de-
clared, Is the Western refusal
to accept two or three on-site
inspections.
Hits Stand
This Is o stand which, In
stead Of taking into account
the interests Of the partner to
negotiations, seeks to obtain
concession from him without
actually coming to meet him
half way"
Western officials wondered
whether this was q yelled hint
that the Soviet Union might
be willing to meet the West
half way" on inspections -
namely five inspections per
year.