April 29, 1983

The Argentine Government, in an accounting today of its war against leftist terrorism in the 1970's, justified the actions that led to the disappearance of thousands of people as legal and necessary to defend the nation. The long-awaited accounting, however, fell far short of the demands by human rights leaders and opposition politicians for details about what happened to those who disappeared and how many there were. The statement said the Interior Ministry would issue a list of all the requests about missing people that it has received since 1974 and would indicate which cases had been solved. News reports said the list would be made public Friday.

THIS weekend it might be wise to follow the lead of the tigers and elephants at the Bronx Zoo's Wild Asia. After having been cooped up for months in their winter cages, the animals will again roam free in their sprawling outdoor habitat, beginning tomorrow. For humans, too, this weekend can be a time to get reacquainted with the outdoors. In New York City and the suburbs, dozens of outside events beckon. There are organized walks and house tours, nature strolls and plant sales, a Fifth Avenue parade and an open-air train to see the animals at Wild Asia. James G. Doherty, the zoo's general curator, said this is the best time for visiting Wild Asia. ''The animals are a lot more active in the spring,'' he said. ''They are racing about and happy to be outside again.'' A newcomer has joined the ''Wild Asians.'' He is Zachary, a baby camel, who makes his public debut tomorrow. The Bronx Zoo is open from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. daily, until 5:30 P.M. on Sundays. Admission on weekends is $2.50; $1 for children. The Bengali Express, the train that meanders through Wild Asia, costs $1.25 more; 75 cents for children. The number for information is 367-1010.

Over the objections of a dissident stockholder group, Jesse Werner, the longtime chairman of the GAF Corporation, managed today to extend for more than two weeks the voting on a resolution that might oust him. Mr. Werner announced from the podium that he and the other directors had decided to keep the polls open until May 13. Half-a-dozen shareholders jumped to their feet in protest. ''I've never seen anything like this in all the meetings I've attended,'' shouted John Gilbert, who attends the annual meetings of many corporations, usually as a gadfly, although he said he was neutral in this dispute. Mr. Gilbert questioned the legality of changing the voting rules.

Nine present and former police officers, a former sanitation police lieutenant and a former firefighter were charged yesterday with crimes involving payoffs from illegal after-hours clubs in Manhattan. The charges grew out of an 18-month F.B.I. undercover investigation into suspected police corruption and centered on clubs in the Chelsea section of Manhattan and on East 14th Street, mainly during 1981 and 1982. The total payoffs to each, according to the charges, ranged from $300 to $5,000. Authorities said the payments had been made so the officers would overlook the illegal sale of liquor, double-parking outside the clubs and complaints by club patrons.

International The Common Market expressed ''deep concern'' over Reagan plans to tighten curbs on East-West trade. The memorandum delivered in Washington underscores Europe's resentment over proposed changes in the Export Administration Act that would authorize a ban on American imports from nations that sell to the Communist bloc in violation of U.S. trade sanctions. (Page A1.) Paul A. Volcker said he favors limited intervention in foreign exchange markets ''when exchange rates seem clearly wrong.'' The Federal Reserve chairman's statements appeared to go beyond Administration policy on the issue. (D1.)