News In Brief

At Geneva arms talks, USSR assails US aims

The Soviet Union used the opening day of the Geneva disarmament conference Tuesday to launch a fierce attack on the United States, accusing it of torpedoing arms talks and of wanting to achieve military superiority.

''If the United States undertakes not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, as the Soviet Union has, this would substantially influence the international climate,'' said Viktor Issraelyan, chief Soviet negotiator at this year's session of the Conference on Disarmament here.

Many delegates believe the conference, which used to be called the Disarmament Committee, might at last be on the verge of producing its first convention - on outlawing chemical weapons.