April, 01 2009, 12:00am EDT
Gary Hart Praises Obama-Medvedev Commitment to New Nuclear Treaty
WASHINGTON
Former Senator Gary Hart,
chairman of Council for a Livable World, today praised Presidents
Barack Obama and Dmitriy Medvedev for their commitment to negotiate a
new legally-binding treaty to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty (START), which expires in December.
Last month, Senator Hart issued the final report of The Commission on
U.S. Policy toward Russia, a group he co-chaired with Senator Chuck
Hagel. The Commission called for a new nuclear arms treaty between the
United States and Russia.
According to a joint statement issued today, Presidents Obama and Medvedev agreed "to
pursue new and verifiable reductions in our strategic offensive
arsenals in a step-by-step process, beginning by replacing the
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with a new, legally-binding treaty." Ideally, a draft agreement will be ready by summer so that the U.S. Senate has enough time to review it.
In response to today's development, Hart issued the statement below through Council for a Livable World.
"It is very welcome that Presidents Obama and Medvedev have
pledged to pursue new and verifiable reductions in strategic nuclear
weapons by the end of the year," said Gary Hart. "It also is important that they looked beyond this year and committed to the long-term goal of a nuclear weapons free world."
Added Hart: "Equally significant is that the United States and
Russia have both committed to improving relations after a difficult
period. U.S.-Russian cooperation is imperative to preventing Iran from
obtaining nuclear weapons, confronting the terrorist threat,
stabilizing Afghanistan, and achieving security and prosperity in Europe."
For background material on negotiations over a START follow-on
agreement, including information on nuclear stockpiles and quotes from
key supporters, visit our START Resource Center.
The Council for a Livable World promotes policies to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons, and to minimize the risk of war through lobbying and by helping elect and support Members of Congress who share our goals. For more than 50 years, the Council for a Livable World has been advocating for a more principled approach to U.S. national security and foreign policy.
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