Would Back NATO, Kinnock Tells Reagan

WASHINGTON —  The leader of Britain’s opposition Labor Party told President Reagan on Friday that if he becomes prime minister in elections expected next year, he would maintain London’s absolute commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization--despite his determination to get both American and British nuclear weapons out of his country.

Neil Kinnock told a press conference after a 30-minute meeting with Reagan that the President “can now have absolutely no doubt whatsoever about the strength of our commitment to NATO and our determination to do the defense job properly.”

But White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater made clear that the President was not convinced. Fitzwater said Reagan told Kinnock that Labor’s defense program “would have a strong (negative) effect on NATO, East-West relations and the (nuclear arms) talks in Geneva.”

Same Objective

Kinnock’s party has called for an end to Britain’s independent nuclear force and for withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons--cruise missiles, bombs for manned aircraft and submarine-launched missiles--from bases in Britain. In exchange, Labor has proposed increased spending on conventional armed forces, including the British Army of the Rhine stationed in West Germany.

At his press conference, the Labor Party leader said Reagan repeated his frequently expressed wish to rid the world of nuclear arms. Kinnock said his party has exactly the same objective.

Kinnock said that Labor would not press its demand for removal of cruise missiles from British bases as long as Washington and Moscow are engaged in negotiations over intermediate-range nuclear forces.

The United States and the Soviet Union have said that they hope to reach an agreement that would remove all medium-range missiles from Europe, a category that includes the cruise missiles in Britain.

Policy Would Be Pursued

But he said the Labor Party wants the missiles out regardless of the U.S.-Soviet talks. “If, at some future date, there was an utter breakdown (in the talks), we would pursue our policy,” he said.

Although Kinnock said Reagan “made it clear that he had no desire or intention of interfering in the affairs of Great Britain,” there is little doubt that Reagan is far closer politically to Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher than he is to the Labor Party challenger.

Thatcher’s present term ends in June, 1988, but under British law, she can call an election at any time before that. There has been recent speculation that she might call one as early as next June.

While Kinnock was trying to reassure Washington that he does not favor unilateral disarmament, Thatcher was preparing for a trip to Moscow for meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev.