News In Brief

US to stress verification in plan for chemicals ban

The United States will seek to extend verification ''to the highest degree possible'' in a draft treaty banning chemical weapons to be introduced by Vice-President George Bush tomorrow at the Geneva disarmament conference, chief US delegate Louis Fields said Monday.

Mr. Fields said he did not expect the Soviet Union to accept the draft, to be presented tomorrow to the 40-nation forum.

Well-informed sources said the convention would provide for permanent on-site inspection of the destruction of chemical weapon stocks; propose the monitored destruction of chemical weapons production facilities; and set out methods of defining and monitoring the permitted production of feedstock chemicals that have a legitimate industrial use but are also potential weapons.