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Chernenko says USSR ready for radical arms-race steps

Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko says the Soviet Union is prepared for ''the most radical solutions'' to the arms race, involving ''the prohibition and , eventually, complete elimination of nuclear weapons.'' In a message published Wednesday to the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, he said his country is looking forward to the Soviet-US negotiations in Geneva ''firmly determined to achieve a major breakthrough in reducing the danger of an outbreak of war.'' He once again called upon the US to pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons - a move the USSR has already taken. But he also indicated that the ''demilitarization'' of outer space may be an even higher Soviet priority.