Russia`s Lavrov on prospects for signing of new START treaty

MEXICO CITY, February 17 (Itar-Tass) - A new treaty on strategic arms
reduction may be signed quickly enough if the parties to the talks follow
the appropriate agreements reached by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia
and Barack Obama of the U.S., Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
here Tuesday.
"All the fundamental issues of the new arrangement on the reduction of
strategic armaments were resolved during contacts between Presidents
Medvedev and Obama and also during a series of talks of the Chiefs of
Staff of the Armed Forces," Lavrov said.
"If you follow their agreements, the treaty may be signed soon enough
then because Russia is committed to what has been agreed," he said.
President Medvedev's aide Sergei Prikhodko told reporters at the
beginning of this month that the treaty, which is supposed to replace the
now expired START-1, may be signed as early as in March.
"March or April is a realistic term," he said, adding that work on the
document continues in a constructive key.
"Most probably, this will be done in the first half of the year,"
Prikhodko said.
A few technical details and 'mismatches' have to be removed now, he
said.
US Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher told reporters Monday the
dates and venue of the new treaty's signing have not been specified yet.
She voiced the hope that the remaining talks will be soon over, but
she would like to refrain from forecasting the dates on which the talks
might be finish.
Tuesday, MP Mikhail Margelov, who chairs the foreign policy committee
in the upper house of Russian parliament, said the new START treaty is 97%
ready.
He indicated that the document might be signed in March in one of the
European capitals.

-0-kle