_http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8607985.stm_
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8607985.stm)
US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev,
have signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in the Czech capital, Prague.
The treaty commits the former Cold War enemies to each reduce the number of
deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 - 30% lower than the previous
ceiling.
Mr Obama said it was an important milestone, but "just one step on a longer
journey" of nuclear disarmament.
Mr Medvedev said the deal would create safer conditions throughout the
world.
If ratified by lawmakers in both countries, the treaty will replace the
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) of 1991, which has expired.
Missile defence
The US and Russian leaders signed the New Start treaty at a ceremony
attended by hundreds of officials in the lavishly decorated Spanish Hall of
Prague Castle, the Czech president's residence.
TREATY LIMITS
Warheads: 1,550 (74% lower than the 1991 Start Treaty and 30% lower than
the figure of 2,200 that each side was meant to reach by 2012 under the 2002
Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (Sort)) Launchers: 700 deployed
intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and deployed heavy
bombers equipped for nuclear armaments New limit on delivery systems less
than half the current ceiling of 1,600
Under the pact, each side is allowed a maximum of 1,550 warheads, about 30%
lower than the 2002 Moscow Treaty.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, President Obama said the treaty
demonstrated that both countries had halted the deterioration in their
relations, which had prevented agreement on mutually important issues in the past.
"When the United States and Russia are not able to work together on big
issues, it's not good for either of our nations, nor is it good for the world.
Together we've stopped that drift and proven the benefits of
co-operation," he added.
Mr Obama said the pact was "an important milestone for nuclear security and
non-proliferation" and set the stage for further arms cuts.
"While the New Start treaty is an important first step forward, it is just
one step on a longer journey. This treaty will set the stage for further
cuts, and going forward, we hope to pursue discussions with Russia on
reducing both our strategic and tactical weapons, including non-deployed weapons."
He said the talks would cover missile defence, threat assessments, and the
completion of a joint assessment of emerging ballistic missiles.
ANALYSIS
By Jonathan Marcus, BBC News, Prague
Numbers here are not hugely important though in the sense that these
arsenals are still far in excess of what might be needed to deter each other or,
for that matter, any other potential nuclear competitor.
This agreement really is a starting benchmark; a formal treaty that sets
the scene for much more significant reductions in the future. Indeed, much of
the new agreement's importance is in its collateral benefits.
It marks an important improvement in US-Russia relations and it gives
President Obama in particular an important boost ahead of next month's review
conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Bolstering this
agreement, which is the central pillar of efforts to prevent the spread of
nuclear weapons, is a high priority for him.
For his part, President Medvedev hailed the treaty as "historic" and said
it would launch a new chapter of co-operation between the two countries.
"The result we have obtained is good," he said. "We have got a document
that fully maintains the balance of interests between Russia and the US. The
main thing is that there are no victors or losers here."
But Mr Medvedev said disagreements remained with the US over its plans for
a missile defence shield, which have been modified since Mr Obama came to
office.
On Tuesday, Russia's foreign minister warned that it could abandon it "if a
quantitative and qualitative build-up of the US strategic anti-missile
potential begins to significantly affect the efficiency of Russia's strategic
forces".
It was Moscow's concerns over Washington's plans to base interceptor
missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic that helped delay
the new treaty. President Obama shelved the idea in September, although new
plans include ground-based interceptor missiles in Romania.
The White House has said it hopes and expects the US Senate to ratify the
New Start treaty this year. Senate ratification requires 67 votes, which
means it must include Republicans.
The Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, must also approve
the treaty, but as long as the Kremlin supports it, ratification there is
expected to be a formality.
Disarmament vision
BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus, who is in Prague, says the
real significance of this deal is that it marks a warming of US-Russian ties
and heralds, perhaps, tougher Russian action on Iran's nuclear programme.
It also gives Mr Obama a disarmament success that he hopes will strengthen
his hand at next month's review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), our correspondent says.
An overhaul of the 40-year-old pact is seen as the central pillar of the US
president's efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
However, much more significant cuts in long-range nuclear weapons could
take years of negotiation with the Russians, who do not share Mr Obama's
ambitious disarmament vision, our correspondent says.
Nuclear weapons are in fact looming larger in Russia's security equation at
a time when their role in US strategic thinking is becoming more
circumscribed, he adds.
On Tuesday, President Obama unveiled the new Nuclear Posture Review, which
narrows the circumstances in which the US would use nuclear weapons.
"The United States will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against
non-nuclear weapons states that are party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty
and in compliance with their nuclear non-proliferation obligations," it
said.
Countries which the US regards not complying with the NPT, including Iran
and North Korea, will not be spared a nuclear response.
North Korea pulled out of the NPT in 2003, while the US claims Iran is
secretly developing nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies.
Mr Obama also pledged not to develop any new nuclear weapons, a move pushed
through in the face of resistance by the Pentagon.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/8607985.stm
Published: 2010/04/08 12:05:33 GMT
© BBC MMX
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Replies
Israel refuses to attend the nuclear summit as they still defy the rest of the civilised world.
I'm better than you are.....nanner, nanner, nanner.