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U.S.-Russia: Moscow Treaty Enters Into Force By Mike Nartker Also known as the Moscow Treaty, the pact calls for the United States and Russia to deploy no more than 2,200 strategic nuclear warheads each by the end of 2012. The U.S. Senate approved the treaty in March (see GSN, March 7), and Russia’s legislature completed its approval process last week (see GSN, May 28). “Today we mark an important achievement in the relations between the United States and Russia,” Bush said yesterday during a press conference at the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg before heading to Evian, France, for a meeting of the Group of Eight. “This treaty reflects the new strategic relationship that is emerging between our nations,” he said. The United States and Russia now plan to create a bilateral implementation committee for the treaty, Putin said. He also said he and Bush have developed instructions to help further a dialogue between the two countries in “all areas of our comprehensive agenda.” One area of increased future cooperation is in missile defense efforts, Bush said, adding that missile defense is “essential to the security of both our nations.” “We will intensify efforts to confront the global threats of terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, that threaten our peoples and freedom-loving peoples around the world,” Bush and Putin said in a joint statement. In Russia, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, delayed consideration of the Moscow Treaty’s ratification to register its disagreement with U.S. policy regarding Iraq. Putin yesterday denied, however, that U.S.-Russian relations had been irreparably damaged by the Iraq crisis, adding that the treaty reaffirms the “strategic partnership” being developed between the two countries. “We are aware of the questions being raised as to whether the relations between the United States and Russia will withstand the test of time,” Putin said. “Today, we reiterated … our resolve to continue with our strategic partnership for the benefit of our nations and the entire world. I must say that the fundamentals between the United States and Russia turned out to be stronger than the forces and events that tested it,” he added. The diplomatic dispute that arose between the United States and France during the Iraq crisis was likely to be a topic of discussion between Bush and French President Jacques Chirac during a brief one-on-one meeting the two leaders scheduled for today in Evian, Chirac spokeswoman Catharine Colonna said yesterday. During the meeting, Chirac would likely reiterate French rationales for opposing the war in Iraq during the U.N. Security Council debate on the issue that has contributed to tensions that have lasted into the present, Colonna said. She added, however, that any discussions on Iraq would likely focus on future efforts to rebuild the country.
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