News In Brief

Soviets formally reject treaty plan on chemicals

The Soviet Union formally rejected a US proposal Thursday for a treaty outlawing chemical weapons. Moscow's chief delegate, Viktor Issraelyan, told the 40-nation Geneva disarmament conference the US draft, presented last week by Vice-President George Bush, contained ''deliberately unacceptable'' provisions for verification.

He said the proposal was aimed at concealing ''intensive preparations to implement a $10 billion chemical rearmament program proclaimed by President Reagan.''

In a separate development Thursday, an official US source said Washington had requested private bilateral talks with the Soviet Union in an attempt to make progress on the chemical weapons issue.