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Russia wants to negotiate arms control with Obama

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-17 23:59

MOSCOW -- Russian news agencies quote the foreign minister as saying Moscow hopes to conduct constructive arms control talks with the new US administration.

Russian honour guard soldiers from the presidential regiment throw their rifles up in the air during a show in the Kremlin, in Moscow, in October.  Russian news agencies quote the foreign minister as saying Moscow hopes to conduct constructive arms control talks with the new US administration. [Agencies]

Interfax and ITAR-Tass report that Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia is eager to maintain control and verification procedures contained in the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

The START I pact expires in December 2009, and Russian and US negotiators have already launched efforts to negotiate a follow-up pact. The talks have been unsuccessful so far amid a cold spell in Russia-US relations.

Lavrov is quoted as saying that Moscow expects that Barack Obama's administration will cooperate in a "constructive" way to reach a deal that would strengthen arms control.