U.S. Prepares Public for Failure of Arms Negotiations, Tass Says

MOSCOW —  Washington is already preparing the American public for an unsuccessful outcome at next week’s U.S.-Soviet arms talks in Geneva, the official Soviet press agency Tass said today.

Political commentator Yuri Kornilov said Washington keeps repeating that it is not prepared to renounce its “Star Wars” anti-missile space defense plans. It added that Assistant Defense Secretary Richard Perle has said he does not believe the two sides will be able to agree on arms control.

“Perle’s statement and other similar remarks, which seek to prepare American public opinion in advance for the negative outcome of the forthcoming talks, can only give rise to alarm,” Kornilov wrote.

He said the United States, on the eve of the Geneva talks, still maintains it will push ahead with its “Star Wars” plans.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin leadership took an optimistic tack regarding the coming negotiations, saying the New Year raised new hopes for U.S.-Soviet arms talks.

U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko are due to meet in Geneva next Monday. Moscow has made clear it gives top priority to barring space weapons.