The delay in ratification of a new strategic arms reduction treaty could hamper the progress in U.S.-Russian relations, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Monday.
The treaty has met strong Republican opposition in the Senate over concerns that it may weaken U.S. anti-missile defenses, while the proponents of the treaty insist that the most important part of the accord is that it continues the verification and monitoring regime that expired with the end of the START 1 treaty last year.
"We've had a lot of controversy about this that I think frankly is a lot of red herrings," Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher, who led the U.S. side during talks with Russia on the new START deal, said in a speech at the U.S. Institute for Peace.
Tauscher said that failure to ratify the treaty before the yearend would make it difficult for the United States to effectively monitor and verify Russia's nuclear activities.
"It is difficult for us to move on to a new arms control negotiation and series of talks if we don't have the first business done by getting the new START ratified. So we have to get that done and move forward," Tauscher said.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the new arms cuts treaty, intended to replace the START 1 agreement that expired in December 2009, on April 8 in Prague. The agreement will come into force after being ratified by both chambers of the Russian parliament and the U.S. Senate.
The Republicans won a solid majority in congressional elections last week. This means it will be more difficult for Obama to secure the ratification of the treaty after the new Congress takes office in January.
The new Russian-U.S. pact obligates both nations to cap their fielded strategic nuclear weapons to 1,550 warheads, while the number of deployed and non-deployed delivery vehicles must not exceed 800 on either side.
The Russian and U.S. presidents earlier agreed that the ratification processes should be carried out simultaneously.
WASHINGTON, November 9 (RIA Novosti)
