Informal Exchange With Reporters Prior to a Meeting With Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev

Q. Mr. General Secretary, do you expect an American response to your troop withdrawal announcement, sir?

President Gorbachev. I expect we're going to have a substantive meeting.

Q. Mr. President, what are you going to—

Q. Mr. President, has he taken a propaganda advantage with his major proposal today?

President Gorbachev. This is not serious.

Q. President Gorbachev—

Q. What's not serious?

President Reagan. I think we have to go into our meeting, and I just want to say that I am looking forward to and very pleased with this fifth and final meeting between President Gorbachev and myself. We've accomplished much; there are other things still to do. And I am also extremely pleased that Vice President Bush could be here for these meetings. And now I think we'd better go.

Q. Mr. Vice President, can you tell us what you're going to

President Gorbachev. Let me add to what the President has just said. If we score any points, we can do it only together. If we try to score points alone, nothing good will happen.