Asia-Pacific

Russia, US agree outline of nuclear pact-report

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-12-18 18:49

MOSCOW: Negotiators from the United States and Russia have agreed the outline of a new nuclear arms pact, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified diplomatic source as saying on Friday.

"The provisions of a new START agreement are agreed and there will be an official announcement in the near future," the source was quoted as saying.

The world's two largest nuclear powers have been trying to find a replacement for the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-I), the biggest pact to cut nuclear weapons in history.

A senior US official said in Washington on Thursday that US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev could reach an agreement in principle in Copenhagen on Friday, leaving negotiators to finalize a deal later.

The two leaders will meet in the Danish capital on the sidelines of a global climate change conference.

Russia called on Thursday for simpler verification procedures for planned cuts in nuclear weapons arsenals, while Washington insisted it wanted a deal that worked for both former Cold War foes.

The US official said there was little chance the leaders would be ready to sign a finished accord in Copenhagen.

"But if the presidents are able to come to terms on the remaining verification issues, it might be possible to reach an agreement in principle which will still require the negotiating teams to finalize," the official said.

The White House has said "good progress" was being made in US-Russian negotiations in Geneva despite signs of tension.

"It's high time to get rid of excessive suspiciousness," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Thursday.

Talks on a replacement for START-I had stumbled in recent weeks, but both sides had said they expected an agreement soon.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Thursday the discussions were making good headway but the United States was not interested in doing a deal for its own sake.

"We want something that works for both sides. We're going to work on this agreement until we get it right ... it doesn't make sense to get something just for the sake of getting it if it doesn't work for both sides," he said.

Obama and Medvedev had wanted a new treaty by December 5, but that deadline passed and the old accord was extended indefinitely while negotiators in Geneva tried to forge a new pact.