Obama pleased with bipartisan support to new START

WASHINGTON, September 17 (Itar-Tass) -- U.S. President Barack Obama
said on Thursday he was pleased that both Democrats and Republicans
expressed support to the new START Treaty with Russia in the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee.
"I want to acknowledge an important step forward today that will
advance our national security. This afternoon, the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee voted in favor of the New START Treaty, and I am
pleased that it did so with strong bipartisan support," Obama said in a
statement.
He stressed that "leaders from across the political spectrum,
including Secretaries of State and Defense from Republican and Democratic
administrations have endorsed this Treaty. They recognize that it is in
our national security interest. It reduces the deployed nuclear forces of
both the United States and Russia, provides strong verification measures,
and continues to improve relations between our two nations - the world's
two largest nuclear weapon powers, and key partners in global security."
Obama said the ratification of the new treaty "will reinforce our
cooperation with Russia on a range of issues, including one of our highest
priorities - preventing the spread of nuclear weapons" and urged the full
Senate to quickly approve the new START.