22 seconds ago 2009-11-14T12:28:49-08:00
MOSCOW (AFP) – Negotiations on replacing a key Russian-US nuclear disarmament treaty that expires in a little over a month will resume on November 9, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday.
The ministry said in a statement that "intense work" had been carried out during the last round of talks on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which were held on October 19-30 in Geneva.
The two sides "agreed to continue the talks on November 9", it added.
Russian and US negotiators have been thrashing out the terms of a new pact to replace START, a landmark 1991 treaty that led to deep cuts in the two countries' nuclear arsenals, before it expires on December 5.
Last week the Kremlin's top foreign policy advisor Sergei Prikhodko said "serious progress" had been made in the talks in recent weeks.
START is seen a cornerstone of Cold War-era strategic arms control and the administration of US President Barack Obama has pledged to work with Moscow on replacing it amid a broader effort to "reset" strained US-Russian ties.
