Global Security Newswire

Negotiations aimed at replacing a key Cold War-era nuclear arms control agreement paused this weekend when Russian delegates returned to Moscow, Reuters reported (see GSN, Feb. 25).

The U.S.-Russian talks in Geneva, Switzerland, were expected to resume within weeks, one diplomatic official said. "I don't know the new date of negotiations, maybe on March 8 or 15," the Russian source stated, noting that negotiators planned to meet Saturday morning before suspending the talks.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Medvedev pledged last July to cut their nations' respective strategic arsenals to between 1,500 and 1,675 deployed nuclear warheads under the successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expired in December. Negotiators have reportedly also agreed to reduce each state's arsenal of nuclear delivery vehicles -- missiles, submarines and bombers -- to between 700 and 800, down from the 1,100-vehicle limit set by the leaders.

The latest suspension of negotiations suggested the Russian side was seeking official endorsement of remaining points in the draft treaty, according to observers (Reuters/Moscow Times, March 1).

A U.S. official said talks would resume March 9, the Associated Press reported.

"The U.S. and Russian delegations have returned home from the last round of negotiations for consultations," said Michael Parmly, spokesman for the U.S. mission in Geneva . "Both sides are continuing to work and consult with one another."

He provided no schedule for the completion of the negotiations (Bradley Klapper, Associated Press/Google News, March 1).

A high-level Russian lawmaker called on the negotiating powers to avoid setting expectations for when they would reach agreement on the new treaty.

"There should not be any deadlines when we have a negotiation process, because what is important is a good result of these negotiations," Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachyov told Russia Today in an interview published today.

Kosachyov reaffirmed Russia's interest in linking strategic arms reductions under the new treaty to limitations on a planned U.S. missile shield in Europe (see related GSN story, today).

"Americans, as far as I can see, would prefer to avoid any [missile defense] restraints, any limits in that area. They want to develop their national and multinational missile systems without any agreements with Russia or any other country. This is absolutely unacceptable for us," he said. "We cannot imagine a situation where we can continue to disarm, continue to cut down our strategic armaments without knowing exactly what’s going to happen in the field of antimissile systems."

"This disagreement continues to exist. But I believe that they have come closer to each other and that their compromise is rather close," he added (Russia Today, March 1).