DTN News: US And Russia Sign Historic Nuclear Treaty
Source: DTN News / Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor, in Prague Timesonline.co.uk
(NSI News Source Info) PRAGUE, Czech Republic - April 8, 2010: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
and US President Barack Obama sign the 'New START Treaty'
The United States and Russia signed a new treaty today aimed at shrinking stockpiles of nuclear warheads in a historic move that revives the push to halt the spread of atomic weapons, particularly to Iran.
President Obama, who attended the signing ceremony with Dmitry Medvedev, his Russian counterpart, in Prague, said that “ramped up” negotiations were expected in the coming days over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and that they would result in another set of “strong, tough” sanctions against the Islamist regime.
“Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and non-proliferation, and for US-Russia relations,” the American leader said, speaking in a grand hall inside the Prague Castle where a year ago he gave a speech setting out his vision for a world without nuclear weapons.
The Russian President, standing at a podium next to Mr Obama, said of the treaty: “The result we have obtained is good.”
Smiling and at moments chuckling in a show of friendship, the two presidents signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start), which is seen as the first concrete foreign policy achievement by Mr Obama since he took office.
The agreement requires Moscow and Washington – holders of more than 90 per cent of the world's nuclear weapons – to slash their respective arsenals by about a third and reduce launchers by a half.
But the pact, which was already delayed because of difficulties in negotiations, could yet be undermined if either side fails to ratify the text or if Russia chooses to exercise a right to withdraw unilaterally over concerns about American plans for a missile-defence shield in Europe.
Amid tight security, the Russian leader, who arrived in Prague yesterday, held closed-door talks with Mr Obama, who was accompanied by Hillary Clinton, his Secretary of State, ahead of the signing ceremony at the medieval castle that overlooks Prague.
The bilateral discussion, which lasted longer than the scheduled hour, included a US desire for a fourth round of sanctions on Iran, which the West believes is intent upon becoming the world's next nuclear power. Tehran insists its nuclear ambition is for civilian, energy needs.
Mr Obama said: “We are going to start seeing some ramped up negotiations … We are going to be able to secure strong tough sanctions on Iran this spring.”
He believed that the US-Russia pact helped to increase pressure on Iran by firming ties between Moscow and Washington and also demonstrating to the world that the two powers were serious about adhering to their commitments to disarm under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Mr Obama will again advocate a tougher stance against the Iranian regime at a two-day summit of 47 world leaders that he is due to host in Washington next week. That meeting will focus on stopping illicit trade in nuclear material and the need for stronger measures to protect vulnerable stockpiles.
It has been a busy few days for the American President on the nuclear front, coming on the back of a successful domestic battle over healthcare reform. The political achievements have given his administration a new sense of confidence 14 months after taking office.
On Tuesday, Mr Obama unveiled a revamped nuclear strategy that for the first time declared the US would never use the bomb against a non-nuclear state provided it complied with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — a caveat that leaves Iran and North Korea still vulnerable to attack.
In a shift that is also reflected in the latest treaty with Moscow, the new policy also focuses on the spread of atomic weapons in vulnerable regions such as the Middle East and South-East Asia or to terrorists rather than outdated and far less plausible fears of a nuclear conflict with Russia.
The evolution of the threat underlines the need to cut inflated Russian and US stockpiles of nuclear weapons, which no longer serve any purpose other than to add to the risk of dangerous material falling into the wrong hands.
The new US-Russia pact, which replaces the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that expired last December, reduces both sides' deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 from a previous cap of 2,200. Washington and Moscow must also cut the number of launchers, nuclear-armed missiles and heavy bombers in a step that will require vigorous verification procedures.
The treaty, which lasts for 10 years and could be extended, still needs to be ratified by the US Congress and the Russian Duma. Mr Obama appears confident that US ratification will happen this year. One lingering headache is ongoing Russian concern over US missile-defence, an issue that has strained relations for years, even though Mr Obama scrapped a plan by his predecessor to base interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic.
Russia viewed the system as a threat to its national security, rejecting American assurances that it was aimed at rogue states like Iran. It threatened to block the nuclear treaty last month after objecting to revised US plans that could see elements of the shield based in Bulgaria and Romania.
Analysts, however, said Moscow was merely signalling that this issue must not be overlooked in future US-Russia disarmament pacts, which are expected to follow the latest treaty as momentum builds behind reducing the risk of nuclear war.
In a day of symbolic significance, Mr Obama and Mr Medvedev are due to sign the agreement in the richly adorned Spanish Hall of Prague Castle, the official residence of the Czech president.
The men will then have a formal lunch before the Russian leader flies home to Moscow, while Mr Obama — in a sensitive balancing act — is due to host a dinner for leaders of 11 Central and Eastern European nations who either belonged to or were affected by the former Soviet Union. They will be seeking assurance over concerns about slipping support from Washington as it courts closer ties with Moscow.
Sealing the nuclear pact will go some way to silence critics of the US leader who last year won the Nobel Peace Prize in part for his vision of a nuclear-weapons-free world despite having not made any tangible progress towards that goal.
Source: DTN News / Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor, in Prague Timesonline.co.uk
(NSI News Source Info) PRAGUE, Czech Republic - April 8, 2010: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
and US President Barack Obama sign the 'New START Treaty'
The United States and Russia signed a new treaty today aimed at shrinking stockpiles of nuclear warheads in a historic move that revives the push to halt the spread of atomic weapons, particularly to Iran.
President Obama, who attended the signing ceremony with Dmitry Medvedev, his Russian counterpart, in Prague, said that “ramped up” negotiations were expected in the coming days over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and that they would result in another set of “strong, tough” sanctions against the Islamist regime.
“Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and non-proliferation, and for US-Russia relations,” the American leader said, speaking in a grand hall inside the Prague Castle where a year ago he gave a speech setting out his vision for a world without nuclear weapons.
The Russian President, standing at a podium next to Mr Obama, said of the treaty: “The result we have obtained is good.”
Smiling and at moments chuckling in a show of friendship, the two presidents signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start), which is seen as the first concrete foreign policy achievement by Mr Obama since he took office.
The agreement requires Moscow and Washington – holders of more than 90 per cent of the world's nuclear weapons – to slash their respective arsenals by about a third and reduce launchers by a half.
But the pact, which was already delayed because of difficulties in negotiations, could yet be undermined if either side fails to ratify the text or if Russia chooses to exercise a right to withdraw unilaterally over concerns about American plans for a missile-defence shield in Europe.
Amid tight security, the Russian leader, who arrived in Prague yesterday, held closed-door talks with Mr Obama, who was accompanied by Hillary Clinton, his Secretary of State, ahead of the signing ceremony at the medieval castle that overlooks Prague.
The bilateral discussion, which lasted longer than the scheduled hour, included a US desire for a fourth round of sanctions on Iran, which the West believes is intent upon becoming the world's next nuclear power. Tehran insists its nuclear ambition is for civilian, energy needs.
Mr Obama said: “We are going to start seeing some ramped up negotiations … We are going to be able to secure strong tough sanctions on Iran this spring.”
He believed that the US-Russia pact helped to increase pressure on Iran by firming ties between Moscow and Washington and also demonstrating to the world that the two powers were serious about adhering to their commitments to disarm under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Mr Obama will again advocate a tougher stance against the Iranian regime at a two-day summit of 47 world leaders that he is due to host in Washington next week. That meeting will focus on stopping illicit trade in nuclear material and the need for stronger measures to protect vulnerable stockpiles.
It has been a busy few days for the American President on the nuclear front, coming on the back of a successful domestic battle over healthcare reform. The political achievements have given his administration a new sense of confidence 14 months after taking office.
On Tuesday, Mr Obama unveiled a revamped nuclear strategy that for the first time declared the US would never use the bomb against a non-nuclear state provided it complied with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — a caveat that leaves Iran and North Korea still vulnerable to attack.
In a shift that is also reflected in the latest treaty with Moscow, the new policy also focuses on the spread of atomic weapons in vulnerable regions such as the Middle East and South-East Asia or to terrorists rather than outdated and far less plausible fears of a nuclear conflict with Russia.
The evolution of the threat underlines the need to cut inflated Russian and US stockpiles of nuclear weapons, which no longer serve any purpose other than to add to the risk of dangerous material falling into the wrong hands.
The new US-Russia pact, which replaces the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that expired last December, reduces both sides' deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 from a previous cap of 2,200. Washington and Moscow must also cut the number of launchers, nuclear-armed missiles and heavy bombers in a step that will require vigorous verification procedures.
The treaty, which lasts for 10 years and could be extended, still needs to be ratified by the US Congress and the Russian Duma. Mr Obama appears confident that US ratification will happen this year. One lingering headache is ongoing Russian concern over US missile-defence, an issue that has strained relations for years, even though Mr Obama scrapped a plan by his predecessor to base interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic.
Russia viewed the system as a threat to its national security, rejecting American assurances that it was aimed at rogue states like Iran. It threatened to block the nuclear treaty last month after objecting to revised US plans that could see elements of the shield based in Bulgaria and Romania.
Analysts, however, said Moscow was merely signalling that this issue must not be overlooked in future US-Russia disarmament pacts, which are expected to follow the latest treaty as momentum builds behind reducing the risk of nuclear war.
In a day of symbolic significance, Mr Obama and Mr Medvedev are due to sign the agreement in the richly adorned Spanish Hall of Prague Castle, the official residence of the Czech president.
The men will then have a formal lunch before the Russian leader flies home to Moscow, while Mr Obama — in a sensitive balancing act — is due to host a dinner for leaders of 11 Central and Eastern European nations who either belonged to or were affected by the former Soviet Union. They will be seeking assurance over concerns about slipping support from Washington as it courts closer ties with Moscow.
Sealing the nuclear pact will go some way to silence critics of the US leader who last year won the Nobel Peace Prize in part for his vision of a nuclear-weapons-free world despite having not made any tangible progress towards that goal.
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