Russia 'Interested' in Ratification of Nuclear Reduction Treaty: Putin

People Daily (CCP State Media) ^ | 4.6.03

[Enemy Of The State]

Russia 'Interested' in Ratification of Nuclear Reduction Treaty: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday reaffirmed Russia's willingness to ratify a nuclear arms reduction treaty reached with the United States, Interfax news agency reported.

"Russia is interested in ratification of this document," Putin said during a visit to the Space Forces Headquarters.

"We will work with the Federal Assembly's deputies and I hope we will achieve ratification," the president was quoted as saying.

The president added that "Our position and the US position on Iraq do not coincide, which has created an unfavorable background for further work toward ratification of the treaty."

Russia's ratification of the treaty on reducing strategic offensive weapons was scheduled for late March, but the State Duma,lower house of the parliament, decided earlier this month to delay the procedure to protest the US-led war on Iraq.

In early March, the US Senate ratified the Moscow Treaty, which calls on each side to reduce its deployed nuclear arsenals by two-thirds, from around 6,000 warheads to under 2,200 by 2012.

The United States has pressed Russia to ratify the nuclear disarmament accord in time for Putin and US President George W. Bush to formally seal the pact in May.

 

[Enemy Of The State]

First China comes out with a new disarmament policy for the United States and now Russia is interested in Reducing our Nuclear Weapons? Smells fishy to me...

[Just mythoughts]

Oh really, is this blackmail or a peace offering?

[NRA2BFree]

Russia and China have seen what our military has done without using nukes. I*m sure the thought of our military and nukes makes them all nervous!

[TennesseeProfessor]

I lean toward peace offering, though it will probably involve us giving them lots of $$$. The key issue is preventing their corrupt and cash-starved military from auctioning off their plutonium. Unlike France who tries to "improve" our relationship by begging for victors rights in Baghdad, Russia is trying to reconcile by inviting us to talk about something we want them to do.

[risk]

I don't know if we can afford strategic arms reduction right now. I'd like to see this stall. It would have been easier to call for reducing our strategic arsenal before 9/11 but with Russia siding with Iraq and China refusing to get Korea under control, we have a tinderbox. There's no substite for massive strategic advantage.

Specific issues:

1. Is a test ban appropriate at this time, regardless of simulation capability?
2. Should we be reducing our heavy ICBMs when new deterrence targets have emerged in the middle east?
3. The 1972 ABM treaty is clearly obsolete. I hope this the Russians aren't pressuring us on this now that Kim Jung Il is threatening to run amok with his own ICBMs.

America has a right to retain overwhelming power because its cause is freedom. The efforts toward disarmament and appeasement in which America engaged during the 1970s and 1980s has clearly failed.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

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