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Global General

Clinton expects new START deal to be signed soon

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-19 22:50

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Clinton expects new START deal to be signed soon
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov leave after a news conference in Moscow March 18, 2010. [Agencies]

MOSCOW - The United States and Russia were "on the brink" of clinching a new nuclear arms control deal, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday.

After meeting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday, Clinton said the two countries had resolved all major issues concerning a new nuclear arms reduction treaty.

"There are some technical issues that remain. But we are on the brink of signing a new agreement between the United States and Russia," she said at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

But Clinton did not specify a date or venue for the signing of the pact.

Lavrov said a reset in Russia-US relations had materialized and both sides should not stop in their steps forward. "This movement requires ongoing dialogue, without any pauses," he said.

Russia and the United States have been working on a new arms treaty since Medvedev and Obama met in April last year, in an effort to rebuild their ties, which plunged to an unprecedented low during the final days of former US Bush administration.

Despite rounds of negotiations, the two sides failed to reach a pact before the original 1991 START expired in December last year.

An outline of the new accord, agreed by both presidents, includes slashing nuclear warheads to 1,500-1,675 and delivery vehicles to 500-1,000.