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[OS] US/RUSSIA: US to let START nuclear treaty expire

Released on 2012-10-19 08:00 GMT

Email-ID 330492
Date 2007-05-23 01:48:22
[Astrid] Bush will drop START with Russia in favor of methods of
containment - export controls, interdiction and sanctions. Am I missing
something, or are those methods rather weak, considering the current
status of relations? Do the Russians want this dropped as well, or would
they like it to be renewed? Can this be interpreted as a threat against

US to let START nuclear treaty expire
Tue May 22, 2007 6:48PM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States plans to let a landmark nuclear
less formal agreement that eliminates strict verification requirements and
weapons limits, a senior U.S. official says.

This would continue President George W. Bush's practice of repudiating
countermeasures like export controls, interdiction and sanctions.

This approach makes many arms control experts uneasy, but the
treaty's fate. Some congressional aides say whatever Bush does, his
successor -- who takes office in January 2009 -- could seek modifications.

While the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty or START "has been important and
for the most part has done its job," Assistant Secretary of State Paula
DeSutter told Reuters the pact is cumbersome and its complicated reporting
standards have outlived their usefulness.

In the post-Cold war era, many provisions of the 1991 START accord, which
mandated deep nuclear weapons cuts, "are no longer necessary. We don't
believe we're in a place where we need have to have the detailed lists (of
weapons) and verification measures," added DeSutter, who handles arms
control and verification issues.

Russia agrees the treaty should not be extended but wants it replaced with
another legally binding treaty that makes further cuts in strategic
forces, so the two sides have significant differences.


DeSutter said concluding a START replacement pact by year's end is "one of
my top priorities."

START obligated Moscow and Washington to slash deployed strategic nuclear
forces from approximately 10,000 warheads each to no more than 6,000
apiece by December 5, 2001. The accord also limits each side to 1,600
delivery vehicles, like intercontinental ballistic missiles.

As of January 1, Russia reported 4,162 warheads under START, and the
United States claimed 5,866 warheads but these figures are not exact
because of unique treaty counting rules.

Another pact, the May 2002 Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty (SORT),
commits the two sides to reduce forces to 1,700-2,200 operationally
deployed warheads by the end of 2012.

After that, neither side's forces will be limited and Russia is afraid the
United States, which can afford a larger arsenal, will expand its cache,
experts say.

Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association said the two sides should
have less than 1,500 warheads each. Asked if Washington could accept such
a target, DeSutter said: "Not at this point."

Experts say the U.S. intelligence community is worried about losing the
extra insight into Russia's arsenal, beyond satellite imagery, that START
verification rules provide.

But DeSutter said verification provisions, like onsite inspections, have
not always worked well, with Russia sometimes hiding weapons from U.S.

Verification is highly intrusive and expensive "but you're never going to
know how many warheads they are going to have on various missiles,"
DeSutter said.

Despite U.S.-Russian tensions over missile defense, Washington does not
see Moscow as an enemy and believes there are other ways to ensure
transparency in their respective nuclear and military capabilities, she

Sen. Joseph Biden, Democratic candidate for president and Senate Foreign
Relations Committee chair, said: "It's a lose-lose situation for the U.S.
and Russia if START were to lapse. The last thing U.S. or Russia needs is
that path again."