Arms treaty stuck in US Senate

WASHINTON, Sunday

It may take the American Senate until August or September to ratify the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama on April 8.

But, there is hope to complete the ratification process before the November Congressional elections. A statement to that effect came from Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller.

Texts of the treaty have already been submitted for ratification to the Russian Federal Assembly and the US Congress.

The document should be approved by both houses of Russian Parliament and the US Senate, and that makes the world keep an eye on any statements concerning the possible ratification dates.

As agreed by the two countries’ Presidents, Moscow and Washington will synchronise the ratification process.

Despite all controversies surrounding the treaty, it has won major political support in Russia, making people generally unconcerned about the document’s passage through the country’s Parliament.

Still, lawmakers worldwide will monitor the fate of the new START Treaty in Washington.

The treaty cuts the total number of nuclear weapons held by the United States and Russia by about a third. Specifically, it fixes a ceiling for each country of 1,550 nuclear warheads and 700 deployed nuclear delivery vehicles.

Some top Senate Republicans, however, have expressed scepticism about the accord, arguing it ties the US hand in developing a missile defence system. The treaty needs 67 votes in the Senate to be ratified.

The situation is quite different in the United States, despite all pledges by Ms Gottemoeller to urge ratification of the agreement.
The biggest challenge is to persuade Senators that it imposes no constraints on the development of the American ABM system, she quoted US Defence Secretary Robert Gates as saying.

Are laid down

But provisions concerning the interrelationship between strategic offensive arms and strategic defensive arms are laid down in the preamble to the document.

Besides, Russia stated it would withdraw from the treaty if the US air defence shield threatens its national security. Presidents Medvedev and Obama have agreed to consider this offensive-defensive link at their first meeting on the issue.

Statements by American military and diplomats indicate their intention to remove all doubts and eventually achieve START Treaty ratification. But, Washington should have no illusions that the document will give it a free hand in unilaterally establishing a global ABM system, if it comes into force.

Russia, America and Europe have to jointly solve the problem of creating a common missile defence shield. (Reuters and Agencies)