START II Gets Russia Boost
After submitting an amended version of the START II arms control treaty to Russia’s parliament Monday, President Boris N. Yeltsin finally appeared likely to see the 5-year-old pact ratified.
The treaty, signed by Yeltsin and President Bush in 1993, would halve the strategic nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia.
The U.S. Senate ratified it in 1996, but the Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, so far has refused to approve it.
Under bilateral accords signed in New York in September, Russia would have five additional years to destroy its long-range missiles. The deadline would be extended from Jan. 1, 2003, until the end of 2007.
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