Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on the President's Meeting With General Mikhail A. Moiseyev, Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Union

The President met with Soviet Chief of Staff Gen. Mikhail Moiseyev for approximately one-half hour this morning in the Oval Office. General Moiseyev is participating in the military contacts program with the Department of Defense and is in the United States at the invitation of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell. He arrived in Washington on September 30 and will remain in the United States through October 6, during which time he will also visit New York, Detroit, San Francisco, San Diego, and Colorado. The President noted the need for continued progress on both CFE and START negotiations.

The President noted his very fruitful meeting with President Gorbachev in Helsinki and requested that General Moiseyev pass on his regards to President Gorbachev. The President stated that the status of U.S.-Soviet relations is excellent, and he appreciates the Soviet cooperation in the Persian Gulf.