Obama: U.S., Russia ‘close’ on new arms treaty

[TomCADem]

Source: Associated Press

COPENHAGEN - President Barack Obama said on Friday that the United States and Russia are "quite close" to agreeing on a new arms control treaty.

The new deal would replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START I, that expired Dec. 5.

Emerging from a private meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held on the sidelines of the climate summit in Copenhagen, Obama expressed confidence that a successor pact will be agreed to in a "timely fashion," adding that technical details required further work.

At a summit in Moscow in July, Obama and Medvedev agreed to cut the number of nuclear warheads held by each country to between 1,500 and 1,675 within seven years as part of a broad new arms control agreement.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34474156/ns/world_news-europe/

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Of course, John Bolton vigorously opposes such efforts as noted in this Op-Ed:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/opinion/26bolton.html

[Cha]

1. Thanks Tom!

[Igel]

2. Bolton's quibbles are fairly consistent.

http://www.armscontrol.ru/start/nuc-cuts.htm

Not all such efforts, just specifics about some efforts. He's not a real trusting sort when it comes to Russia (or defense issues in general, not just wrt Russia), and doesn't much appreciate those who are.

Personally, I haven't followed these talks very closely, but I have yet to see what the resulting treaty will be called. START II's taken--inked and signed but not ratified by Russia. START III would make NYT's denial today that START II ever existed possibly a bit too obvious.