 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
US, Russians To Meet On Nuclear Arms Cuts, Strategic Issues
Washington (AFP) Jan 15, 2002 US and Russian defense officials began two days of talks here Tuesday on nuclear weapons cuts and other security issues following a US strategy review that calls for storing rather than destroying decommissioned warheads. "They have begun," said Marine Lieutenant Colonel Michael Humm, a Pentagon spokesman. "They will be having strategic force reduction conversations." The talks come only a week after the Pentagon unveiled a plan to reduce the US strategic nuclear arsenal from 6,000 warheads to 3,800 by 2007 and to as low as 1,700 warheads over the next 10 years. Russia also has urged cuts in US and Russian nuclear arsenals to 1,500 warheads each. But sharp differences remain in US and Russian approaches to nuclear arms reductions with Washington seeking to preserve the capacity to rapidly rebuild its nuclear forces if conditions change. As a hedge, the United States wants to keep decommissioned warheads in its active stockpile rather than destroy them, Pentagon officials have said. It also wants to strengthen its nuclear weapons production infrastructure and shorten the time in which the United States could resume nuclear testing if called upon to do so by the president. The Russian foreign ministry said last week that any cuts in nuclear forces should be irreversible. In Moscow, Russian officials said the talks will begin a process aimed at coming up with a legally binding document by mid-year that sets forth the parameters of the nuclear arms reductions and verification measures. The document would ensure "the transparency of the deactivation and storage of these missiles," said Valery Manilov, an aide to deputy chief of staff General Yury Baluyevsky, the head of the Russian delegation. The US delegation is led by Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy. While Moscow wants the cuts to be formalized in a binding agreement, Washington insists it is prepared to make cuts unilaterally and there is no need for detailed arms control negotiations. However, the two sides have agreed to talks aimed at ensuring predictability and accountability in making the cuts. The US intelligence community concluded in a report published last week that unless Moscow significantly increases funding for its strategic forces, Russia's arsenal will decline to less than 2,000 warheads by 2015 -- with or without arms control. Missile defense issues also are expected to be discussed in the talks here, along with counter-terrorism cooperation, biological weapons and counter-proliferation, and military-to-military activities. President George W. Bush announced last month that the United States will withdraw from the 1972 ABM treaty in six months to pursue missile defense projects free from the constraints imposed by the treaty. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said scrapping the ABM treaty was a mistake but so far has avoided a confrontation with Washington in favor of talks aimed at redefining their strategic relations. All rights reserved. � 2002 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
US and Russia To Talk Nukes Despite Only "Virtual" Cuts
Moscow (AFP) Jan 10, 2002Arms reduction talks between Russia and the United States are to take place in Washington on January 15-16, the US ambassador in Moscow said on Thursday. The main thrust of the talks, the first since the United States decided to abandon the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty forged with the Soviet Union, was laid out by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov in Brussels in mid-December. China Calls CIA Report On Missile Build-Up "Baseless Speculation" 
Beijing (AFP) Jan 10, 2002Beijing Thursday called a CIA report that China was expanding its ballistic missile arsenal "baseless speculation", but reiterated that it would build up its military forces in accordance with its own needs. US-Russian START I Treaty Cuts Warheads To Under 6,000 Each 
Wasington (AFP) Dec 5, 2001The United States and Russia said Wednesday they had fulfilled all of their obligations under the START I strategic arms reduction treaty in which they had pledged to reduce their nuclear arsenals.
|
|
| |||||||||
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news 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 Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. |
