World IN BRIEF : BELARUS : Missile Removal Pact Signed With Russia

The last 19 Soviet strategic nuclear weapons will be withdrawn from Belarus under an agreement signed by Russia and the former Soviet republic. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Belarus was one of four former republics--along with Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan--to inherit a piece of its nuclear arsenal. Belarus declared itself nuclear free, and since then 70 strategic missiles have been transferred to Russia for destruction. Seven Russian regiments have been withdrawn and two remain, the Interfax news agency said. The removal of the last missiles will start in September and take several months, the commander of Russia’s strategic missile troops, Col. Gen. Igor Sergeyev, told Interfax.