U.S. Intends to Seek Arms Control Accords with RussiaU.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Thursday the Clinton administration intends to pursue new arms control accords with Russia before it ends its term.Speaking at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Albright said the American people supported the dual quest for further cutbacks in U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals and a way to mount a defense against intercontinental ballistic missiles. "As far as what was said yesterday from the Hill, I believe that the American people support a policy that seeks to both further reduce nuclear dangers left over from the Cold War, and to address new threats," Albright told reporters. Chairman Jesse Helms of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Wednesday he will block the Clinton administration from reaching any arms control agreement with Russia.block any new Clinton administration arms control pacts. Ivanov came to the United States to prepare for a summit meeting in Moscow in early June between President Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two presidents will talk about whether to modify the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) to allow the U.S. to deploy a national missile defense system. On Wednesday, Ivanov reiterated Russia's opposition to the modification of ABM treaty, but proposing the two sides cooperate on short-range missile defenses allowed under the treaty. However, responding to the proposal, Albright said Thursday the United States was faced now with a new potential threat, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and had to deal with it. "We have spoken before and we did again during this meeting, about cooperating on theater missile defense. And we think that it can supplement, but it is not sufficient for dealing with the problems that we have. And so I think we will continue to talk about it," Albright said. |
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