NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION | 22.12.2010

US Senate votes to ratify new START accord for nuclear reduction

Kerry led the Senate battle for New START ratification

US lawmakers have voted to ratify a crucial treaty with Russia forcing both countries to reduce their stockpile of active nuclear warheads by some 30 percent, giving President Barack Obama a major political victory.

The US Senate on Wednesday voted to ratify the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia, ending weeks of uncertainty over one of President Barack Obama's key foreign policy priorities.

The final vote was 71-26, well above the necessary two-thirds majority needed for ratification, with several Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the treaty.

Under the accord, Russia and the United States pledge to cut their stockpile of active nuclear warheads to 1,550 within seven years, or about 30 percent from when the first START, signed in 1991, expired a year ago. Both countries would have the right to inspect the other's progress.

Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the pact would ultimately help efforts to confront nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea.

Obama and Medvedev signed the treaty in April

"I am confident that our nation's security, and that of the world, will be enhanced by ratifying this treaty," he said. The treaty "is not simply an agreement to address the lingering dangers of the old nuclear age. It is an agreement that will give us a crucial tool to combat the threats of this new nuclear age."

Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed new START in April after a year of negotiations between diplomats from the two countries. Approval by the Russian Duma was all but certain, with lawmakers in Moscow saying they would wait for a final outcome from their American counterparts.

Obama must still sign the Senate resolution to ratify new START, which he was expected to do soon.

Author: Andrew Bowen (Reuters, AP)
Editor: Chuck Penfold

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