Moscow Must Dismantle Radar Site Unconditionally, U.S. Says

SANTA BARBARA — The Reagan Administration scoffed Wednesday at a Soviet proposal tying the dismantling of a controversial radar station to an extension of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

“It should be torn down with no strings and no deals,” White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said.

In the long-held view of the White House, the radar installation at Krasnoyarsk, situated about 1,000 miles inside Soviet boundaries, violates provisions of the ABM Treaty banning such structures except on the nation’s borders.

Thus, while the dismantling of the radar unit would be viewed in a positive light, the White House said, Soviet compliance with the treaty cannot be conditioned on additional U.S. steps.

Disclosing Offer

The Soviets, in disclosing their offer to tear down the Krasnoyarsk facility, sought a commitment from Washington that the United States would adhere to the ABM Treaty for another nine or 10 years--a step that would be intended to halt work on the Strategic Defense Initiative, or “Star Wars” program.

Viktor P. Karpov, the Soviet Foreign Ministry’s chief arms control expert, said Tuesday that “if an understanding to abide by the ABM Treaty . . . is reached,” the Soviets would tear down the radar unit.

Fitzwater, asked about the Soviet offer “to dismantle the radar system,” responded: “They have not agreed to dismantle the Krasnoyarsk radar. They have offered to do that in exchange for agreement on an ABM Treaty deadline of non-withdrawal. That is something entirely different.”

Still, he said, the United States welcomed the proposal, because the Administration read it as an acknowledgement that the structure violates the treaty.

‘Positive Step’

The offer, Fitzwater said, “is a positive step. But Soviet compliance with their ABM Treaty obligations cannot be conditioned on any other steps.”

He said that questions about the radar system would be at the center of a U.S.-Soviet review of the treaty, which takes place every five years.

The spokesman said that the Soviet proposal would not alter a debate within the Administration about whether the structure should be formally declared a material breach of the treaty, when that review session occurs. Such a step would allow the United States to abrogate the treaty--easing the way for testing of a “Star Wars” missile defense system--or to commit a similar violation.