A Mix of Hope and Hokum

(5 of 5)

Both France and Britain swiftly and emphatically rejected Gorbachev's effort to cut a separate deal. Still, the U.S. did not bolster Western solidarity by bungling a call for a pre-summit meeting of seven Western powers in New York City this month. French President Francois Mitterrand, who had not been consulted, felt compelled to rebuff Reagan's invitation. The Belgians and Dutch were irked that they had not been invited. Secretary of State George Shultz tried to pacify them by offering to go to Brussels for a pre-summit parley.

The road to the summit, now six weeks away, is likely to follow two paths. Both sides will continue to court world opinion with public diplomacy. At the same time, the Soviet proposal offers them an opening to begin the hard, detailed work of private diplomacy. The task is daunting: to reshape, by mutual agreement, their swollen and still growing nuclear arsenals to reduce the risk that they may one day be used. Nothing specific may be accomplished by the time Reagan and Gorbachev meet next month. Even so, there now appears to be at least the possibility of a major arms-control agreement before the end of Reagan's term.