|
Geneva, Switzerland, March 7, 2009 –
The United States and Russia plan to have a new disarmament agreement by
the end of the year, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has
said.
Clinton said the two countries had "agreed on a work plan" after she met
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, for a two-hour working
dinner on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland.
"We intend to have an agreement by the end of the year. This is of the
highest priority to our governments," she said.
Speaking at a news conference with Clinton, Lavrov said the current
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start), which expires on December 31,
had become obsolete.
The treaty, which was signed in 1991, committed both parties to limit
arms stockpiles, including a maximum of 1,600 missiles and 6,000
warheads.
Friday's meeting, meanwhile, marked the highest-profile talks between
the two nations since Barack Obama, the US president, took office in
January.
The Geneva dinner was intended to set the stage for next month's meeting
between Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev.
Relationship 'reset'
Clinton, the US's senior-most diplomat, called the talks a "fresh start"
in relations between the two after tensions rose last year over Russia's
brief war with neighbouring Georgia, a US ally.
Another issue of contention has been US plans to set up a missile
defence shield in Eastern Europe, which Russia considers its back yard.
Sounding an optimistic note, Lavrov told the joint news conference: "I
think we can arrive at a common view, both in the context of strategic
offensive weapon and missile defence."
In a light-hearted gesture, Clinton handed Lavrov a red button reading
"reset" in English at the start of the meeting.
However, the Russian translation of the word read "peregruzka"
(overload), instead of "perezagruzka" (reset).
Lavrov joked later that they had "reached an agreement on how resetting
should sound in both Russian and English".
On a more serious note, the Russian foreign minister expressed hopes of
strengthening US-Russian economic ties.
"We have a common interest in a new level of economic relationship
between the two countries," he said.
Clinton said the discussions also touched on the two nations' mutual
interest in advancing nuclear disarmament and on growing concerns about
Iranian nuclear development and instability in Afghanistan.
Source: Agencies
|
