Barack Obama 'set to open radical nuclear weapons talks with Russia'

[Turborama]

Source: Telegraph (UK)

Barack Obama will aim to slash the nuclear weapons stockpiles of the US and Russia by 80 per cent, it has been reported.

By Jon Swaine

Mr Obama will move to open fresh arms reduction talks with Moscow and seek an agreement to cut the number of warheads to 1,000 each, according to The Times.

The two countries must have cut their stockpiles from about 10,000 to 5,000 by December under the 1991 US-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start).

Mr Obama promised to make the reduction of nuclear weapon numbers a priority of his presidency.

An unnamed administration official is reported to have told the newspaper: "We are going to re-engage Russia in a more traditional, legally binding arms reduction process.

"We are prepared to engage in a broader dialogue with the Russians over issues of concern to them. Nobody would be surprised if the number reduced to the 1,000 mark for the post-Start treaty."

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4508479/Barack-Obama-set-to-open-radical-nuclear-weapons-talks-with-Russia.html

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Russia unclenches fist over nuclear weapons

Source: Times Online (UK)

Tony Halpin in Moscow

Russia moved swiftly yesterday to extend a hand to President Obama over American plans for big cuts in nuclear weapons. Sergei Ivanov, the Deputy Prime Minister, said that Russia was ready to sign a new strategic missile treaty with the US.

“We welcome the statements from the new Obama Administration that they are ready to enter into talks and complete within a year, the signing of a new Russian-US treaty on the limitation of strategic attack weapons,” said Mr Ivanov, a hawkish former Defence Minister, who was once seen as a candidate to become the president of Russia.

Grigory Karasin, the deputy Foreign Minister, also hailed the initiative. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1991 expires in December. It reduced stockpiles held by the two states from 10,000 to 5,000 but there has been little progress in negotiating a successor.

Talks faltered in part over President Bush’s enthusiasm for siting a missile-defence shield in Eastern Europe, a move that infuriated Russia. A delay in the programme could ease Russian concerns and pave the way for talks.

From: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5663534.ece

[BlooInBloo]

1. It's a funny world where rationality goes under the name "radical".

[Oregone]

2. They just burn up their old crappy ones,

in horribly defective plants at that. The thousand or so we all keep will be whoppers. I guess this is all symbolic

[Idealism]

3. Is this radical because instead of the neo-con way

of half-assing it when it comes to destroying nukes, Obama wants to actual do something constructive?

[rpannier]

4. The fact he`s talking with them makes it radical

At least when compared to the disaster that was there previously

[bemildred]

5. About fucking time. nt

[Jefferson23]

6. What the hell is radical about this?? Thank God Bush is gone.

[Turborama]

8. Depends which definition of "radical" you use, I guess.

In this context, I like this one: http://www.answers.com/radical">Designed to act on or eliminate the root or cause of a pathological process.

[Jefferson23]

9. lol, good one, I'll go with that and thanks!

[Peace_Sells]

7. Radical

If this is "Radical" then I'd say Radical is a good thing.

[tekisui]

10. Great news! Beautiful Radical!

[conturnedpro09]

11. They use terms like radical because they're nervous and upset.

It's not even really ideological. The press sells more papers during wars than during peace. That's all.

[IsItJustMe]

12. This is always good news, since we have enough nukes to destroy the world 24 times over.

[FirstLight]

13. I sure hope that we can support him in this!

I haven't read the rest of the thread yet, but I am so stoked that Obama is going to do this. The insanity of nuclear weaponry has never made sense to me ...why bother wiping out everything on one side of the globe if the it will just poison everyoine on the other side too?

I would like to see him back up the "peace" efort by pulling ALL troops out of Afganistan too. we need to regroup and make our military more of a "peacekeeping" force and only use them that way in a real emergency. Otherwise, I think the soldiers could be better off if trained in building infrastructure, etc. hmmm, and use them both abroad and at home to re-build what has been destroyed in the wake of Katrina and the YEARS of bombing in the Mideast...and wouldn;t that be a reinvestment rather than a waste?

Let's not be "government builders", but let's be builders of SAFE places where people can live their lives in relative normalcy!

[defendandprotect]

14. A see-saw, but this is great news . . . !!!

We need to keep Obama coming down on the progressive side --- cause it's

really clunking when he joins hands with DLC and Repukes . . .