No end yet to Start talks in Geneva

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – US President Barack Obama met Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev on the fringes of the Apec meeting in Singapore 14 November, to discuss the resumption of the Start talks on reducing both countries’ nuclear arsenals. Obama hailed the “excellent progress over the last few months”repors the Moscow Times. The Start talks resume in Geneva Monday 16 November.

The current treaty expires 5 December, and though hopeful that a new treaty will be hammered out before the end of the year, Obama’s team suggests a bridging agreement may be necessary because the treaty is unlikely to be signed and ratified in time, reports Fox News.

The current treaty limits the number of warheads each side can keep to 6,000, as well as 1,600-1.675 “delivery systems”, methods on land, in the air, or on or under the water to fire the missiles. The new treaty will try to limit the warheads to 1,500 to 1,600, and delivery systems below 1,000.

Details to be worked out include ways of counting missiles and methods of verification. The talks regained momentum in September when the White House announced it was reconsidering a nuclear weapons shield in Europe that was opposed by the Kremlin.

Links to other site: VOA News, Novosti

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