Gorbachev Calls for 'Zone of Peace'

HAVANA--Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev told the Cuban legislature yesterday that Soviet-style reforms were not a universal remedy for all communist countries.

In a 53-minute speech before the Cuban National Assembly, Gorbachev also proposed that a "zone of peace" be established in Latin America and the Caribbean and renounced any Soviet intention of establishing naval, air or missile bases in the region.

Gorbachev also reaffirmed that the Soviet Union will continue supplying weaponry to Nicaragua's leftist government as long as the United States continues to arm other Central American countries. The issues remains a major sore point in relations between Washington and Moscow.

In his speech, the Soviet leader spent considerable time justifying the need for the reforms he has introduced in his own country.

"Today only those can count on success who are marching in step with the times, who are drawing the necessary conclusions from the changes resulting from the fact that the world has entered the era of high technology, of intellectual labor, of the decisive role of science," he said.

But, Gorbachev added, "We do not regard our approaches and solutions as some universal prescription for all. On the contrary, problems may be similar but each party solves them in its own way, guided by its own notions and the specific features of its country."

There had been speculation that Gorbachev might announce forgiveness of part or all of Cuba's debt to the Soviet Union.

But the Soviet leader merely restated that industrialized nations should help ease the burden of debtor nations in the Third World.

Earlier, in an interview with the Soviet news agency Tass, Gorbachev signaled that he and Cuban President Fidel Castro are prepared to work for improved East-West relations, indicating some softening in the Cuban leader's anti-Americanism.

Gorbachev told Tass a central topic of histalks with Castro on Monday was the "new thinking"in Soviet foreign policy--an approach that seeksto ease world tensions by reducing militarycommitments abroad and negotiating settlements ofregional disputes that threaten to bring thesuperpowers into conflict.

It is a tenet of Gorbachev's reform policies athome that the Soviet Union must demonstrate to theWest it is eager to serve as a cooperative partnerin world economic development and dispel theKremlin's "enemy image" of the Cold War era.

Gorbachev emphasized in the Tass interview thathe and Castro spoke about the greaterunderstanding being shown by the West.

"It is generally felt that there is mountingaspiration in the world for better relations, andI think that the Soviet Union and Cuba understandtheir responsibilities and, as always, they willbe at their best," Gorbachev said.

Tass also said the talks touched on thenations' relations with the United States, withCastro noting that Cuba "always has been preparedfor normalization of relations with the UnitedStates. However, we so far have not seen acorresponding wish from Washington's side."

Gorbachev said the Soviet Union is emphasizingdisarmament questions and bilateral issues intalks with the United States.

The talks also addressed Central America, andGorbachev and Castro agreed the region's problemscannot be solved militarily, Tass said.

Castro and Gorbachev signed a 25-year bilateralaccord, which the Cuban news agency Prensa Latinasaid dashes all speculation about a rift betweenHavana and Moscow and ratifies their "traditionalrelations."

But despite a show of friendship between thecharismatic leaders of the two communist allies, aseries of arrests in Havana yesterday underscoredthe differences between the pragmatic liberalismespoused by Gorbachev and the tight control stillexercised by Castro 30 years after he led aguerrilla army to victory over a right-wingdictatorship