Shuttle diplomacy seeks European Afghan stand

European leaders are conducting intensive talks in an effort to forge a common response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The British Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, was due in Bonn Tuesday for talks on the Afghan crisis, a follow-up to Monday's unexpected visit by West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez Gonzalez flew into Bonn from Madrid for talks with Mr. Schmidt hours after the West German leader returned from London.

As Mr. Suarez arrived, Italian Foreign Minister Attilio Ruffini left Bonn for Copenhagen at the end of a two- hour talk with his West German counterpart, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, whose ministry announced a visit next week by Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

The shuttle diplomacy among the Europeans -- with the notable exception of France, which all but vetoed joint action -- came after last week's visit by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance to four European capitals.