Russian President Medvedev urges ratification of new START treaty

Russian President Medvedev urges ratification of new START treaty

2011-01-18 04:36:12 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday urged a swift ratification for the U.S.-Russia START treaty, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Medvedev called on the Russian Parliament to ratify as quickly as possible the treaty which consists in the new nuclear arms reduction pact with the United States and signed last April in Prague, Czech Republic.

"The Americans have done what they have promised to do. They have ratified the treaty with several amendments," Medvedev said. "Now it is the turn of our parliament. You have all possibility to do the same. I hope that decision will be made."

The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, voted in favor of the treaty's ratification in the second reading on Friday. The original START treaty expired in December 2009.

President Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama signed the documents last April in order to reduce the Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200.

The new START treaty, which has been applauded by the international community, was ratified by the U.S. Senate on December 22, 2010. However, several amendments were made to the resolution on ratification, including a demand to build up U.S. global missile defenses.

In Russia, the new agreement needs to be ratified by both houses of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and the Federation Council before coming into force. Both votes are expected to take place before the end of the month.

The U.S. Senate passed the arms reduction treaty after a 71-26 vote which was considered a major victory for President Barack Obama in the foreign policy field. Obama has expressed his intention to establish new relations with Russia.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-01-18