Russia reserves opt-out of arms treaty with US - WWTTFF???

[Soul Crusher]

Russia reserves opt-out of arms treaty with US
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press Writer
2 hrs 52 mins ago
www.yahoo.com
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MOSCOW – The new U.S.-Russian arms control treaty is a much better deal for Russia than its predecessor, but Moscow reserves the right to withdraw from it if a planned U.S. missile defense system grows into a threat, Russia's foreign minister said Tuesday.

Sergey Lavrov said Russia will issue a statement outlining the terms for such a withdrawal after President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the treaty Thursday in Prague. The new accord replaces the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START I, which expired in December.

Lavrov has said before that Russia could withdraw from the treaty. But his comments at a briefing Tuesday were his most specific yet on how and why a withdrawal could occur.

"Russia will have the right to opt out of the treaty if ... the U.S. strategic missile defense begins to significantly affect the efficiency of Russian strategic nuclear forces," he said.

Moscow welcomed Obama's decision to scrap the previous administration's plans for missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, but expressed concern about plans for a revamped shield, including a possible facility in Romania.

Lavrov said the site in Romania poses no immediate threat, but Russia could opt out of the new treaty if U.S. missile interceptors become capable of intercepting Russia's strategic missiles.

"We have noted that the U.S. system won't have a strategic capacity in its early stages," he said. "We shall see what will happen next. When and if this system gets a strategic capacity, we shall see whether it creates risks for our strategic nuclear forces."

The talks on a START successor had dragged on for nearly a year. They were stymied most recently by Russia's demand for an explicit link between strategic arms cuts and development of the U.S. missile defense system. The U.S. Senate, however, has opposed any restrictions on the shield.

Moscow eventually agreed to have just a general statement noting a link between strategic offensive and defensive weapons. U.S. officials said the wording imposes no constraints on missile defense.

Lavrov said the new agreement will be the first arms-control treaty to make the parties fully equal. He said Russia shares Obama's goal of a nuclear-free world, but said other nations must join the disarmament process, as well.

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You cant make this shit up anymore.    Obama = PUNKED! 

[Hugo Chavez]

This is kinda Bush's fault as much as anybody.  We withdraw from treaties without giving a shit now so really, why should they?

[GigantorX]

This is kinda Bush's fault as much as anybody.  We withdraw from treaties without giving a shit now so really, why should they?

I guess.....but Bush opted out of a treaty that was between the U.S. and a nation that no longer exsisted. And no, he didn't try to create a new one with new Russian state....but still.

[dario73]

This is kinda Bush's fault as much as anybody.  We withdraw from treaties without giving a shit now so really, why should they?

Kinda? Are you confused? The Soviet Union in its hey day was withdrawing from treaties long before Bush existed. By your way of thinking, Bush was justified.

Now, if stable governments are established in Iraq and Afghanistan, who gets the credit? Bush or Obama? Already Obama's administration are patting each other on the back, eventhough Obama voted against the surge.

How can Bush get blamed for the economy, but Obama get credit for success in the war? Obama is even getting credit for the withdrawal timetable when that was already put in place by the Bush administration.

[Soul Crusher]

And Disgusting Traitor in Chief is going to push this.  Unreal.  Again - Obama and his followers = F'ING CLUELESS

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Obama tells Medvedev he'll make nuclear treaty a priority
The pressure is on to get the treaty OKd in the Senate's lame duck session, before Republicans swell their ranks in the chamber next year.
 
By Christi Parsons
 
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
 
YOKOHAMA, Japan — President Obama made one departing promise as he wrapped up his meeting with world leaders here Sunday, telling his Russian counterpart that he will make approval of their nuclear agreement a top priority in the final days of the Democratic Congress.

In what one official called a "full-court press" on Capitol Hill, the administration is arguing that the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is critical to the future of U.S.- Russia relations, and that dragging things out could do irreparable damage.

"The president has made it very clear publicly that this is his highest priority in terms of foreign policy pieces of business to get done in the lame duck session," a senior administration official said here Sunday. "And if the president says that, then the rest of us are doing everything we can to make that happen."



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As part of the effort to pass the treaty, the president's team is offering to spend $4 billion more on the U.S. nuclear weapons complex over the next five years, U.S. officials confirmed Sunday.

Signed by Obama and Medvedev last spring, the treaty would limit the U.S. and Russia to significantly fewer strategic arms within seven years after it is finalized. If the treaty isn't approved for ratification by the Senate in the lame duck session, Obama fears it could get bogged down in partisan delay after Republicans swell their ranks in the chamber next year. GOP leaders want to see greater investment in the nation's weapons production facilities, and the president has previously promised to pump up the 10-year investment by $10 billion.

Obama's pledge to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev came on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, where world leaders concluded their final day of talks about trade issues Sunday.

Capping off a week of summits, the APEC leaders approved a blueprint for growth that encourages the pursuit of free trade agreements and discourages protectionism. Leaders also agreed to work to cut down trade imbalances, government debt and wild fluctuations in exchange rates.

Obama's conversation with Medvedev was also about work in progress. Referring to Medvedev afterward as "my friend, Dmitri," Obama told reporters he had reiterated his commitment to get the START treaty approved before the end of the year and communicated to Congress "that it is a top priority."

The treaty was the first thing on the agenda at Sunday's meeting, according to White House sources. Obama explained to Medvedev the administration's strategy for achieving ratification, and also talked with him about the U.S. politics he thinks are complicating matters.

Privately, administration officials see the START as a case that will indicate whether the newly empowered Republicans intend to oppose any and all initiatives of the Democratic president.

Russian officials have expressed some concern about how long the treaty discussions are dragging out, which U.S. diplomats worry could signal trouble down the road.

"We think the START treaty is important for what it does as an arms control treaty," said one official, "but we also think that symbolically for this to linger on would begin to bleed into other aspects of U.S.-Russian relations. And neither country, of course, has an interest in doing that."

After the APEC meeting, Obama planned to visit the statue of the Great Buddha at Kamakura, then head home to Washington.
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