If the kit is an orgional issue, I would probably pitch the decals and use After Market decals. However if you want to try to salvage the kit decals, try a product from Micro Scale called Decal Film. You brush it on over the decal on the paper (2 or 3 coats usually), let it dry, cut it out and apply just like any other decal (However, decals will eventually reach the stage that even Decal Film won't work).
Another thing you might try is to spray a coat of clear over the decal sheet - I've never done it but have some friends who swear by it.
And another thing you don't know yet, is the glue on the decal going to work - in the past I've used old decals that came off the paper like they're supposed to and gone on apparently like they're supposed to. And come back the next day when the decal is dry and it is either curling up on the model or fallen completly off the model. And another thing I've had with happen is the decal refuses to come off the backing paper - it's gotten damp sometime during storage and the glue has been activated the result of which is an unusable decal. Which is why I usually go with an AM set