News In Brief

US expected to propose ban on chemical weapons

President Reagan is expected to announce shortly that he is sending Vice-President George Bush to Geneva to present to the Soviet Union a draft treaty that would ban chemical weapons. The proposed ban would include the production, testing, and use of all such weapons, subject to verification, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

The Soviets injected a new element into the 40-nation Geneva conference on disarmament earlier this year by suggesting that they might agree to ''continuous'' on-site verification of the ban. But officials warn that many complicated elements would have to fall into place before the United States and Soviets could come to a final agreement. Mr. Bush is expected to go to Geneva on April 17.