Doubt over S.A.L.T.

Press, 19 April 1979, Page 8

Doubt over S.A.L.T.

NZPA-Reuter Washington The Carter Administration yesterday faced growing scepticism over whether the United States could monitor effectively Soviet compliance with a new Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty after the loss of listening posts in Iran.

The Defence Secretary (Mr Harold Brown) said that the 1 United States might be able to set up adequate facilities within a year to foil any big Soviet cheating on a new S.A.L.T. agreement. But he confirmed leaks of ■ Central Intelligence Agency estimates that it would, take up to five years to make up fully for the loss of its sophisticated electronic listening posts in Iran which monitored Soviet missiles tests.

Mr Brown was responding to a charge by a Republican senator, Jake Gam, that there was nothing the country could do to make up for the loss before 1984. Mr Brown said in a statement: “The Iranian monitoring sites supplied us with various kinds of information on the Soviet strategic-mis-sile programme, much of it connected with features that will be limited by the provisions of a S.A.L.T. II treaty.”

The question of whether the United States will be able to detect any Soviet violations of the S.A.L.T. II treaty is expected to be a crucial issue when the treaty goes to the Senate for approval.

Increasing doubts on this aspect have recently been voiced by some members of

the Senate, where a twothirds majority is needed for ratification.