WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 1984 (UPI) - President Reagan says his second-term mandate is ''to pursue a steady course in international affairs'' and keep cutting the size and scope of big government in Washington.
Reagan, holding his first Cabinet meeting since being re-elected by a landslide last week, urged his Cabinet officers Tuesday to help him continue the work that his administration began four years ago.
''We came here to dam the river. Let's start throwing in the rocks,'' Reagan said in his pep talk Tuesday.
Reagan will huddle today with Secretary of State George Shultz and national security affairs adviser Robert McFarlane for the first round of discussions on foreign policy goals over the next four years.
The two advisers planned to present Reagan with a blueprint of possible goals in promoting peace and reconciliation around the world in his next term and a key concern is trying to resume substantive arms talks with the Soviet Union.
An administration official who asked not to be identified said the Soviets are showing interest in Reagan's proposal to place all arms negotiations under one umbrella, perhaps with talks between Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko.
''Some acceptance of the idea is emerging'' in the Kremlin, the official said.
''The United States is in the best position to negotiate than it has been in a generation,'' he said.
After thanking those Cabinet members who had helped out in the campaign, Reagan told them he had made good on his pledge of four years ago to embark on ''a new beginning'' and indicated he still has an unfinished agenda in his second term.
''We accomplished some things. We've changed the course, but there's much more to be done,'' said Reagan, whose comments in the closed-door session were relayed to reporters later by White House spokesman Larry Speakes.
''In the election, the people said they want more of what we accomplished in the first term,'' Reagan said. ''Our main purpose was to reduce the rate of increase in government and we're going to keep on down that line.''
In addition, he said, ''We're going to pursue our steady course on the international scene.''
As a first order of business, Reagan and his key fiscal advisers expect to bore in on the 1986 fiscal year budget with a new round of proposed spending cuts and a firm stand against any increase in tax rates.
Speakes said the Cabinet was shown new projections of a worsened outlook for the deficit -- in the range of $190 billion over each of the next few years -- if Congress and the administration cannot come to terms on a deficit-reduction package.
He also told reporters that Reagan will approach Congress ''on a realistic basis'' to reduce the red ink spending.
