![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
. | ![]() |
. |
![]()
Moscow (AFP) Oct 30, 2009 Moscow and Washington want to reach a deal on a key nuclear disarmament treaty before US President Barack Obama receives his Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, a Kremlin source was quoted as saying Friday. The source, quoted in the Kommersant daily, said the Obama administration wanted to sign an agreement on replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) before the Nobel ceremony and that Moscow was willing to oblige. "On December 10 the ceremony for awarding Nobel laureates will take place... Our partners want the document to be signed before the Nobel Peace Prize is given to Barack Obama," the Kremlin source was quoted as saying. "We are not against this," he added, according to Kommersant. Russian and US negotiators have been discussing a new pact to replace START, a landmark 1991 treaty that led to deep cuts in the two countries' nuclear arsenals, before it expires on December 5. A deal on START would mark a major foreign policy success for Obama and would boost his stated vision of a world free of atomic weapons. By coincidence, the treaty's expiration date comes just five days before Obama is due to visit Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize. The ceremony for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize takes place in Oslo, while the other Nobel prizes are awarded in Stockholm the same day. The Nobel Prize Committee stunned many around the world last month when it announced that it would give Obama the 2009 Peace Prize nine months into his presidency, prompting criticism that Obama did not deserve the prize yet. Kommersant's report came out a day after a senior US delegation led by Obama's national security advisor, James Jones, discussed START with top Russian officials in Moscow. The newspaper reported that compromises had been reached on two key issues: the limit on the number of "carriers" that can deliver warheads and how the START replacement treaty will address missile defence. Russia has insisted that the START replacement treaty must establish a link between missile defence systems and strategic arms. "Compromise solutions have been found on these parameters of the treaty," Kommersant quoted a source, identified as a participant in Wednesday's talks with Jones, as saying. "We still have an array of concerns where we have not yet agreed with the Americans. But there is movement." Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
![]() ![]() Moscow (AFP) Oct 29, 2009 US National Security Adviser James Jones stressed the White House's desire for friendly relations with Moscow as he met Russian officials on Thursday for nuclear disarmament talks. Jones, a retired US general, told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that President Barack Obama remained committed to improving ties with Moscow that have been badly strained in recent years. ... read more |
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |