PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia -- Yuri Andropov made his first official trip abroad as leader of the Soviet Union Monday, leading a high-powered delegation to the first Warsaw Pact summit meeting in more than two years.
Leaders of the seven Warsaw Pact countries were scheduled to open their two-day summit Tuesday at a historic hill-top castle overlooking Prague in talks expected to focus on missile deployment.
Communist Party chiefs of the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and East Germany arrived late Monday afternoon and were greeted at the airport by Czechoslovak president and party leader Gustav Husak.
According to the official Czechoslovak news agency Ceteka, the Eastern bloc leaders will discuss 'fundamental questions of international relations and joint tasks connected with the strengthening of the defense capability of the Warsaw treaty countries.'
They will also 'formulate their peace initiatives aimed at ensuring European security, easing international tension and averting the danger of war,' the agency said in apparent reference to Andropov's December proposal to pull back Soviet missiles in exchange for armament concessions by the West.
One indication of the importance that Andropov attaches to the summit is the makeup of his delegation: Defense Minister Dmitry Ustinov, Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, Prime Minister Nicolai Tikhonov and Central Committee Secretary Konstantin Rusakov.
The Soviet line-up leaves little doubt as to who will dominate the talks, also expected to delve into Poland's internal situation following suspension of martial law.
Polish leader Gen. Wojiech Jaruzelski, party chief as well as commander of the armed forces, was accompanied to the summit by Foreign Minister Stefan Olszowski, Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Florian Siwicki and former foreign minister Josef Czyrek.
As Andropov's plane flew over Poland, he radioed: 'To the brotherly Polish nation, hearty greetings and friendly wishes of success in the New Year.' The message, monitored in Warsaw, was signed by Andropov, Ustinov, Gromyko, Tikhonov and Rusakov.
For Andropov, it was the first official trip since taking over as Soviet Communist Party secretary-general Nov. 12 after the death of Leonid Brezhnev.
The Soviet leader was sure to seek unanimous support from his allies for proposals sent to President Reagan in December offering to reduce 'by hundreds' the number of Soviet missiles aimed at Western Europe if NATO scrubs its plan to deploy Pershing-2 and cruise missiles later this year, observers said.
The Prague summit will be the 18th since the Warsaw Pact was signed in 1955.
