THE REYKJAVIK SUMMIT : Lugar Lauds Reagan, but Democrats Say He Missed Historic Opportunity
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WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee praised President Reagan on Sunday for holding firm in the face of what he described as unreasonable Soviet demands, but Democrats chided the President for missing a historic chance to reduce nuclear arsenals.
“President Reagan’s negotiating position in Iceland was imaginative, generous and careful in preserving the defense of our country and the Free World,” Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), the committee chairman, said. He said Reagan “did not blink” in the face of a tough Soviet stance.
Sen. Gary Hart (D-Colo.), a potential presidential candidate in 1988, said the weekend meeting in Iceland “may be remembered as the summit of low expectations for arms control.”
“By maintaining his commitment to ‘Star Wars,’ the President has rejected a proposal leading to deep reductions and the potential elimination of offensive nuclear weapons,” Hart said.
Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.), ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, described the summit as “a sad day for mankind.”
“I deeply regret the failure to achieve an agreement when we were virtually on its brink,” he said.
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