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Moscow tentatively approves arms pact
Source: Agencies |
December 25, 2010, Saturday
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RUSSIA'S lower house of parliament yesterday gave preliminary approval to a US-Russian arms treaty, but decided to delay further moves until next month.
The Russian State Duma voted 350-58 to approve the New START treaty in the first of three required readings. The legislators said they would proceed further after returning from the New Year's vacation that lasts until January 11.
Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the State Duma's foreign affairs committee, said the full ratification could only happen next month "at the earliest."
The New START treaty, which was ratified on Wednesday by the United States Senate, would limit each country's strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550, down from the current ceiling of 2,200. It also would re-establish a system for monitoring and verification, which ended last year with the expiration of a previous arms control deal.
Strengthened ties
The pact is a key part of US President Barack Obama's aim to "reset" ties with Russia.
In a phone call on Thursday, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Obama on the Senate's approval of the treaty, which the two leaders hailed as a historic event for both countries and for US-Russia relations, said a White House statement.
Speaking in a live interview with Russian TV stations yesterday, Medvedev praised the pact as a "cornerstone of stability both on the European continent and the entire world," adding he was happy to see the Russian parliament moving ahead to ratify it.
He credited Obama for securing the pact's ratification.
"He did a great job, succeeding in his push for the ratification of this very important document, the New START in quite difficult conditions," Medvedev said. "I told him: 'Barack, you have a rest now.'"
Obama called the treaty a national security imperative and pressed strongly for its approval before the new Congress, with a Republican majority, assumes power in January. In recent days, he had telephoned a handful of wavering Republicans, eventually locking in their votes.
Decision making
The Obama administration has argued that the US must show credibility in its improved relations with its former Cold War foe. It is also counting on Russia to help pressure Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
When Obama and Medvedev signed the arms pact in Prague in April, they agreed to conduct ratification simultaneously. But Kosachev and other Russian lawmakers said they must study Senate legislation accompanying the treaty before making a decision.
Republicans had tried to kill the treaty by forcing changes in its language that would have sent it back for negotiations with Moscow. Democrats sought to appease some Republican senators by letting them raise these issues in legislation accompanying the treaty that would not directly affect the pact.
On Wednesday, two such amendments, one on missile defense and one on funding for the American nuclear arsenal, passed with support from both parties.
The Russian State Duma voted 350-58 to approve the New START treaty in the first of three required readings. The legislators said they would proceed further after returning from the New Year's vacation that lasts until January 11.
Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the State Duma's foreign affairs committee, said the full ratification could only happen next month "at the earliest."
The New START treaty, which was ratified on Wednesday by the United States Senate, would limit each country's strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550, down from the current ceiling of 2,200. It also would re-establish a system for monitoring and verification, which ended last year with the expiration of a previous arms control deal.
Strengthened ties
The pact is a key part of US President Barack Obama's aim to "reset" ties with Russia.
In a phone call on Thursday, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Obama on the Senate's approval of the treaty, which the two leaders hailed as a historic event for both countries and for US-Russia relations, said a White House statement.
Speaking in a live interview with Russian TV stations yesterday, Medvedev praised the pact as a "cornerstone of stability both on the European continent and the entire world," adding he was happy to see the Russian parliament moving ahead to ratify it.
He credited Obama for securing the pact's ratification.
"He did a great job, succeeding in his push for the ratification of this very important document, the New START in quite difficult conditions," Medvedev said. "I told him: 'Barack, you have a rest now.'"
Obama called the treaty a national security imperative and pressed strongly for its approval before the new Congress, with a Republican majority, assumes power in January. In recent days, he had telephoned a handful of wavering Republicans, eventually locking in their votes.
Decision making
The Obama administration has argued that the US must show credibility in its improved relations with its former Cold War foe. It is also counting on Russia to help pressure Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
When Obama and Medvedev signed the arms pact in Prague in April, they agreed to conduct ratification simultaneously. But Kosachev and other Russian lawmakers said they must study Senate legislation accompanying the treaty before making a decision.
Republicans had tried to kill the treaty by forcing changes in its language that would have sent it back for negotiations with Moscow. Democrats sought to appease some Republican senators by letting them raise these issues in legislation accompanying the treaty that would not directly affect the pact.
On Wednesday, two such amendments, one on missile defense and one on funding for the American nuclear arsenal, passed with support from both parties.
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