News In Brief

East-bloc troops exercise in western Czechoslovakia

Motorized, infantry, and air force units from the Soviet Union, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia are engaged in maneuvers in the western regions of Czechoslovakia through Feb. 11, the official Ceteka news agency has reported.

Ceteka said the purpose of the Warsaw Pact exercises, which began Monday, will be ''to test the cooperation between commanders and units of the three allied armies in conditions of present-day warfare.''

Last fall Czechoslovakia announced it had accepted a Soviet plan to deploy medium-range nuclear missiles there and in East Germany to counter US missiles in Western Europe.

A petition from 939 Czechoslovaks has gone to President Gustav Husak protesting the placing of the Soviet missiles in the country and expressing concern at arms escalation worldwide, emigre sources said here Monday.

The Communist Party daily Rude Pravo said it had received many letters from readers voicing concern over Soviet missile plans.