Washington, DC– Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) today released the following statement after meeting with President Obama to discuss the START treaty: “The President is absolutely committed to getting this done and he is confident that real progress is being made in the negotiations on a successor to the START treaty. With toughness, skill, and persistence in these negotiations, the Administration has done an excellent job advancing America’s security interests and I believe the final product will deserve broad bipartisan support.
“A well-designed treaty will send an important message to the rest of the world that America is prepared to lead efforts with key stakeholders to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons. It will strengthen the global non-proliferation regime by showing that the two major nuclear powers are committed to force reductions, transparency, and strategic stability. And it will strengthen our cooperative efforts with Russia to address other threats to our security. Finally, this progress will lay a strong foundation for multilateral discussions in next month’s Nuclear Security Summit and at the Eighth Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May.
“Once the treaty and its associated documents are completed and submitted to the Senate, Senator Lugar and I look forward to holding hearings and giving the treaty immediate and careful attention. Our role will be to understand the treaty in all its complexity and to assess its implications for our foreign and military policy. To prepare for the submission of this treaty, we intend to begin hearings between Easter and Memorial Day on the historical record of strategic arms control.
“I assured the President that we strongly support his efforts, and that if the final negotiations and all that follows go smoothly, we will work to ensure that the Senate can act on the treaty this year.”
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