Pentagon prepares for inspections under New START

WASHINGTON, February 3 (Itar-Tass) --The Pentagon is preparing for
inspections under the New START treaty with Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov will exchange ratification documents on February 5 at the
Munich Security Conference, Defence Secretary Robert Gates' representative
to the treaty negotiations Edward L. Warner, said.
He said that within 60 days of the treaty's entry into force, both
nations would have the right to conduct short-notice inspections of each
other's nuclear facilities.
In late December 2010, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of
Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Rose Gottemoeller said Russia
had provided the United States with a list of 35 nuclear sites for
inspection under the New START treaty.
Warner stressed that aach nation is allowed 18 short-notice
inspections a year over 10 years, he added, "giving both sides the
opportunity to confirm that the other side is complying with the
provisions of the treaty."
He recalled that No inspections have taken place in either nation
since START I expired in December 2009, he said, noting that the first
START treaty represented "an enormous step forward in verification."
The United States and Russia -- or its predecessor, the Soviet Union
-- have signed a variety of strategic arms treaties going back to the
early 1970s, Warner said. START I was signed in 1991 and ratified and
entered into force in 1994. The Moscow Treaty in 2002 built on START I and
lowered critical limits, particularly on deployed warheads, Warner said,
noting that it expires in 2012.
"In the original START treaty, the limit was 6,000 warheads. In the
Moscow Treaty, the limit was between 1,700 and 2,200 -- 2,200 being the
legal limit," he said. "In the new START treaty, which was concluded last
April, the limit is now 1,550 strategic warheads."
The new treaty also limits strategic delivery vehicles, Warner added,
which include intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles
and heavy bombers, such as the B-52H Stratofortress and the B-2 Spirit.
The new treaty requires that each ICBM, submarine-launched ballistic
missile and heavy bomber have a unique numerical identifier to aid
verification, Warner said.
"That unique identifier is in the database," he explained. "It's
provided during the pre-inspection briefing, and when inspectors go to
inspect the individual items they are able to check that number."
Speaking of further strategic offensive arms reduction, Warner said
future nuclear weapons limitation treaties might expand to include nations
besides the United States and Russia.
"If you take the numbers down enough on the arsenals of Russia and the
United States, then the other declared -- and some undeclared -- nuclear
powers are likely to have to come into the equation," he said.
In the meantime, Warner said, "there's probably one more major
bilateral nuclear arms reduction negotiation, and hopefully, agreement
ahead between the United States and Russia."

.Talks with Russia on tactical nuclear arms cuts not to cover missile
defence.

WASHINGTON, February 3 (Itar-Tass) -- The U.S. administration hopes to
begin negotiations with Russia on the reduction of tactical nuclear
weapons not later than a year after the New START treaty enters into
force, U.S. President Barack Obama said in a letter to ranking Senate
members on Wednesday, February 2.
"The United States will seek to initiate, following consultation with
NATO Allies but not later than 1 year after the entry into force of the
New START Treaty, negotiations with the Russian Federation on an agreement
to address the disparity between the non-strategic (tactical) nuclear
weapons stockpiles of the Russian Federation and of the United States and
to secure and reduce tactical nuclear weapons in a verifiable manner," the
letter says.
It stressed that "it is the policy of the United States that such
negotiations shall not include defensive missile systems".

.Russia expects political forces in Tunisia to help normalise
situation in country.

MOSCOW, February 3 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said it
expected all political forces in Tunisia to help normalise the situation
in the country.
"We hope that all leading Tunisian political forces will show civil
responsibility and will facilitate the speediest normalisation of the
situation in the country, which would serve the interests of all Tunisians
and regional stability," the ministry said.
"On January 27, a new national unity government was formed in Tunisia.
Instead of 12 ministers, former members of the ruling Constitutional
Democratic Rally who were in the previous national unity government,
independent persons were appointed to the new one... and although some
Tunisian parties have approved such changes and called on the Cabinet to
take concrete measures to improve the internal political situation,
demonstrations continue, now demanding the resignation of Prime Minister
Mohammed Ghannouchi," the ministry said.