P109 CEEFAX 109  Sat 13 Feb  22:22/58
    
    
    
                                        
 The Soviet Union and the United States 
 are hoping to conduct joint nuclear    
 tests in the first half of this year.  
                                        
 The announcement was made bz Mr Igor   
 Palenzkh, head of the Soviet team at   
 the nuclear test ban talks in Geneva.  
                                        
 Mr Palinykh, speaking on arrival in    
 Geneva for the second round of talks,  
 was also very positive about hopes of  
 progress in the talks to ban the tests.
                                        
  The USSR has carried out a nuclear   
 test explosion with a yield of between 
 20-50 kilotonnes at Semipalatinsk in   
 Central Asia.                          
                                        
   News index 102/202  Newsreel 119/219