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International News Title: Obama, Medvedev Say Arms Treaty Marks New U.S., Russia Era of Cooperation April 9 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a treaty to cut their nuclear arsenals in a ceremony that both men said marks a new era of cooperation between the two nations. The promise of cooperation by the two leaders comes as Obama pushes the international community to escalate pressure on Iran over its nuclear program and take steps to stop the spread of atomic material that can be used for weapons. “This day demonstrates the determination of the United States and Russia -- the two nations that hold over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons -- to pursue responsible global leadership,” Obama said at a news conference with Medvedev after they signed the accord yesterday in Prague. The arms treaty was signed just days after Obama released a document outlining his nuclear policy that shifted U.S. doctrine to focus more on the threat from extremist groups and nations such as Iran and North Korea rather than confrontation with nuclear powers such as Russia. It also leads into a summit on securing nuclear materials that Obama is hosting April 12 and 13 in Washington. The treaty requires each nation to limit deployed strategic warheads to no more than 1,550, from 2,200 allowed now, and no more than 800 deployed and non-deployed land-, air- and sea- based launchers. It also establishes updated measures to verify compliance. Ratification The accord is subject to ratification by the U.S. Senate and the Russian parliament. Obama said he expects Senate approval this year -- the last three arms reductions treaties passed the Senate with more than 90 votes -- and Medvedev said there will be “no delay” from Russia. It replaces the original START agreement signed July 31, 1991, months before the collapse of the Soviet Union, by then- President George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev. That accord took effect in 1994 under President Bill Clinton. Two years later, Clinton signed a comprehensive test ban treaty with Russia, the U.K. and 90 non-nuclear nations that pledged an end to all nuclear weapons testing. It was never ratified by the Senate. While the two sides are still at odds over U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system, Obama and Medvedev pledged to keep talking to resolve those differences. The signing of the treaty “will open a new page for cooperation between our two countries,” Medvedev said. Dealing With Iran A key test will be on Iran. Obama needs the support of Russia, along with China, at the United Nations in negotiations under way on a new sanctions regime against Iran. The U.S. and its allies say Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon, a charge that the government in Tehran denies. Iran was one of the topics during an 85-minute meeting between Obama and Medvedev that preceded the signing ceremony. While Medvedev said he supports keeping up pressure on Iran, there are limits to how far Russia will go on sanctions. He said he and Obama had a “frank” discussion about what “can be done and what cannot be done” to punish Iran. “Iran is not responding to many constructive proposals that have been made, and we cannot turn a blind eye toward this,” he said. Medvedev repeatedly said he would support “smart sanctions” that don’t punish the Iranian people. Obama said there would be “ramped-up” negotiations in the coming weeks. “My expectation is that we are going to be able to secure strong, tough sanctions on Iran this spring,” Obama said. Sanction Limits Speaking with reporters afterward, Russia’s deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said his country wouldn’t support restrictions on gasoline imports to Iran. “A total embargo on deliveries of refined oil products to Iran would mean a slap, a blow, a huge shock for the whole society and the whole population,” he said. “We definitely are not prepared to consider” such moves. Michael McFaul, Obama’s adviser for Russian and Eurasian affairs, said there is little difference between the U.S. and Russian stances on sanctions that would affect Iranian citizens. Still, he said measures affecting the energy sector are “not off the table.” Obama and Medvedev also pledged to overcome their differences on the missile defense system the U.S. plans to deploy to guard against an attack by rogue nations, such as Iran. Missile Defense The Russian government issued a statement yesterday reiterating its position that it reserved the right to withdraw from the START Treaty if there was a “qualitative or quantitative” buildup of a U.S. missile defense. The White House played down any friction. Brian McKeon, deputy national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, wrote on the White House Web site that such statements have been part of arms-reduction treaties dating to the Nixon administration. The U.S. remains “committed to continuing to develop and deploy” the missile defense system and that is not restricted by the treaty, wrote McKeon, who will be leading the effort to win U.S. Senate ratification of the treaty. Medvedev said Russia wants to work with the U.S. on the issue. “This is a flexible process,” he said.
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