Russia, U.S. to Discuss Strategic Stability in New YorkThe Russian-U.S. strategic stability group is expected to convene in New York at the beginning of September, the Interfax news agency reported Friday.The session will be held on the eve of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Bill Clinton that will take place at the Millennium Summit, Interfax quoted "well-informed Russian diplomatic sources" as saying. In the strategic stability group, Russia will be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov, and the U.S. by Deputy State Secretary Strobe Talbot. At the meeting, "a whole complex of strategic stability issues will be discussed, including already available and new initiatives in the sphere of bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation to strengthen international security, to continue the reduction of arms, and to improve missile-nuclear non-proliferation regimes," the sources said. The sides will also probably discuss the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) initiative to curtail its missile program in exchange for international assistance in launching DPRK satellites, the sources disclosed. The sources stressed that the upcoming consultations "will be based on agreements to step up dialogue on strategic stability issues" that were reached during the last meetings between the Russian and U.S. presidents in Moscow and at the Okinawa summit. The leaders of both countries have expressed their "adherence to the search for new ways of cooperation to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technologies," and "are starting a more intensive discussion of issues on the promptest possible enforcement of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty-II (START II) and the further reduction of strategic forces under the future START III Treaty, as well as Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty issues, said the sources. Russia's position on the ABM treaty "remains unchanged," they reaffirmed. Russian-U.S. consultations on strategic stability issues have been held regularly since February 1999. However, so far the parties have not been able to reach an agreement on the destiny of the 1972 ABM treaty. Washington wants amendments to be made to the treaty in a bid to create a limited national missile defense system. Moscow opposes reconsideration of the treaty, saying the implementation of the U.S. plans will destroy the entire system of strategic stability in the world and will initiate a new arms race. |
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