US and Russia sign landmark nuclear disarmament treaty
Source: Agencies |
April 9, 2010, Friday
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The United States and Russia signed a landmark disarmament treaty yesterday that they hope will herald better bilateral ties and raise pressure on countries seeking nuclear weapons to renounce such ambitions.
Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed the pact in the mediaeval Prague Castle after talks that covered nuclear security, Iran's atomic program and an uprising in the strategic Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan.
The agreement will cut strategic nuclear arsenals deployed by the former Cold War foes by 30 percent within seven years but leave each with enough to destroy the other.
Both major nuclear powers needed to show they were serious about reducing their stockpiles to back efforts to curb the atomic ambitions of countries such as Iran and North Korea, and avoid accusations of hypocrisy.
White House officials told reporters on Obama's flight to Prague that tougher United Nations sanctions against Iran's disputed nuclear program would be prominent in his talks with Medvedev, although no specific announcements were expected.
"The Russians are already committed to holding Iran accountable through the multilateral sanctions regime," deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said.
The situation in Kyrgyzstan, where opposition protesters forced out President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on Wednesday, thrust its way on to the agenda as both the US and Russia have military bases in the Central Asian state. The US base at Manas is vital for supplying NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin effectively recognized the interim Kyrgyz government formed by opposition leader Roza Otunbayeva yesterday, his spokesman said. Obama this week announced a shift in US nuclear doctrine, pledging never to use atomic weapons against non-nuclear states, as he sought to build momentum for a nuclear security summit next week in Washington.
The US president set out his long-term goal to work toward a world without nuclear weapons in a speech at the same Prague Castle a year ago.
Medvedev said on arrival on Wednesday that the treaty could play a considerable role in shaping disarmament in the future.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama hoped and expected the US Senate would ratify the treaty this year, before mid-term elections.
Analysts expected Obama to build pressure on Tehran.
Steven Pifer, an arms expert at the Brookings Institution, said the pact would give the US delegation more credibility at the nonproliferation conference.
(Reuters)
Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed the pact in the mediaeval Prague Castle after talks that covered nuclear security, Iran's atomic program and an uprising in the strategic Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan.
The agreement will cut strategic nuclear arsenals deployed by the former Cold War foes by 30 percent within seven years but leave each with enough to destroy the other.
Both major nuclear powers needed to show they were serious about reducing their stockpiles to back efforts to curb the atomic ambitions of countries such as Iran and North Korea, and avoid accusations of hypocrisy.
White House officials told reporters on Obama's flight to Prague that tougher United Nations sanctions against Iran's disputed nuclear program would be prominent in his talks with Medvedev, although no specific announcements were expected.
"The Russians are already committed to holding Iran accountable through the multilateral sanctions regime," deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said.
The situation in Kyrgyzstan, where opposition protesters forced out President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on Wednesday, thrust its way on to the agenda as both the US and Russia have military bases in the Central Asian state. The US base at Manas is vital for supplying NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin effectively recognized the interim Kyrgyz government formed by opposition leader Roza Otunbayeva yesterday, his spokesman said. Obama this week announced a shift in US nuclear doctrine, pledging never to use atomic weapons against non-nuclear states, as he sought to build momentum for a nuclear security summit next week in Washington.
The US president set out his long-term goal to work toward a world without nuclear weapons in a speech at the same Prague Castle a year ago.
Medvedev said on arrival on Wednesday that the treaty could play a considerable role in shaping disarmament in the future.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama hoped and expected the US Senate would ratify the treaty this year, before mid-term elections.
Analysts expected Obama to build pressure on Tehran.
Steven Pifer, an arms expert at the Brookings Institution, said the pact would give the US delegation more credibility at the nonproliferation conference.
(Reuters)
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