News In Brief
| The Hague
Dutch say they may accept NATO missiles - in 1988
The government agreed Friday to deploy 48 US-built cruise missiles in the Netherlands, but not until 1988 - two years after NATO had planned - and only if the NATO still does not have an arms reduction agreement with the Soviets. In Washington, the US State Department expressed disappointment with the decision.
The action was designed to placate nuclear arms foes in the country while going along with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's deployment plan.
The Cabinet's decision, which must be ratified by Parliament, was accompanied by a warning from Christian Democrat Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers ''that if the Soviet Union deploys one more SS-20, we will deploy all 48 cruise missiles.''
