Putin: Russia, US Agree on Text of New Arms Cut Deal

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, May 14, 2002

Putin: Russia, US Agree on Text of New Arms Cut Deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the agreement reached on Monday between U.S. and Russian negotiators on reduction of strategic offensive weapons during their latest round of consultations.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the agreement reached on Monday between U.S. and Russian negotiators on reduction of strategic offensive weapons during their latest round of consultations.

The President said he was satisfied with the joint work of Russian and U.S. negotiators, which has been intensified in recent weeks in an effort to clinch a new arms control agreement by the time of U.S. President George W. Bush's Moscow visit scheduled for May 23 to 26.

He said Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his U.S. counterpart Colin Powell were to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Reykjavki, Iceland, to finalize the texts of other documents for the summit.

Bush hailed the "landmark accord" in Washington immediately after talks in Moscow between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov and U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton.

"The treaty will liquidate the legacy of the Cold War," He said, adding that he would sign the treaty on May 24 in Russia while meeting with Putin.

Both presidents had no comment on details of the accord.

Bush and Putin agreed to cut their nuclear arsenal to 1,700 to 2,200 warheads from the 6,000 now allowed by the START-1 treaty last fall and negotiators have been trying to work out a formal document codifying them ever since.

One looming difference is the fate of the warheads to be taken out of service under the agreement. Moscow wants the decommissioned warheads to be destroyed, while Washington says it wants to store them in case of radical changes in the security environment in the future.

Russian news agencies also quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the difference also lies on what to do with delivery vehicles.

Under START I, counting was based on warhead delivery systems, not the number of warheads. Russia wants to continue that counting method, but the current document specifies only the number of warheads to be cut.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters that the agreement on the deal did not mean Russia had dropped its objection to the idea of stockpiling warheads.

An AP report, citing a senior U.S. government official, said that under the accord each nation will have the authority to decide how to reduce its arsenals.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some U.S. weapons will be destroyed, some put in "deep storage" and others will be stored but kept as "operational spares."

At the start of Monday's talks, Mamedov also said the agreement would include a clause allowing either party to pull out "in case of a threat to national interest."

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