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Russian-U.S. arms deal 'in home stretch'

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Russian and U.S. negotiators will wrap up a new strategic arms reduction pact in the very near future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

Russian and U.S. negotiators will wrap up a new strategic arms reduction pact in the very near future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

"We are pleased with the way the negotiators have been following their presidents' instructions," he said after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"There is every reason to say that we have entered the home stretch and expect the negotiators to announce the completion of their work very soon."

Clinton echoed Lavrov's optimism, saying: "We are making substantial progress on the new START treaty, that's the word from our negotiators in Geneva."

"And the results of the latest negotiation rounds lead us to believe we'll be reaching a final agreement soon," she said

Lavrov said on Tuesday the timeframe and venue for the signing of a new arms reduction pact have yet to be determined.

He added that the deal could be finalized in late March-early April, but that did not mean the treaty would be signed immediately.

Lavrov said the treaty would be 20 pages long, with an extensive protocol attached.

Russia and the United States have been negotiating a strategic arms reduction pact since the two countries' presidents met in April last year, but the work on the document has dragged on, with U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe a particular sticking point.

Moscow wants to include a link between missile defenses and cuts in offensive weapons, but the U.S. Senate is unlikely to ratify any document formally linking the two issues.

START 1, the cornerstone of a post-Cold War arms control setup, expired on December 5 2009.

MOSCOW, March 18 (RIA Novosti)

 

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