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Disarmament DocumentationBack to Disarmament Documentation Russian Duma Ratification of the Moscow Treaty, May 14Note: on May 14, the lower House of the Russian Parliament, the Duma, ratified the US-Russia Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), popularly known as the Moscow Treaty, by 294 votes to 134. Under the terms of the treaty, signed by Presidents Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush in the Russian capital in May 2002, operationally-deployed strategic nuclear warheads will be reduced to an upper limit of 2,200-1,700 per side by December 31, 2012. The US Senate ratified the treaty (95-0) on March 6. The ratification debate in the Duma was briefly delayed by adverse reaction to the US-led invasion of Iraq. The Federation Council, the upper House of the Russian Parliament, is expected to ratify the accord in the near future.
I. Russian Foreign Ministry Statement'On the Adoption by State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of a Federal Law on Ratification of the Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on Strategic Offensive Reductions', Russian Foreign Ministry Statement, Document 1148-14-05-2003, May 14; Russian Foreign Ministry, http://www.mid.ru. On May 14 the State Duma passed a Federal Law on Ratification of the Russian-American Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions (SOR Treaty), signed in Moscow on May 24, 2002, by the Presidents of Russia and the United States. This decision was preceded by a comprehensive discussion of the provisions of the Treaty, as well as of the likely implications of its implementation in the political, military, economic and other fields during the hearings in committees of the State Duma and the Federation Council with the participation of authoritative experts from federal bodies of executive power. The SOR Treaty is called upon to become an important landmark on the road of a drastic reduction of the strategic offensive arms of Russia and the United States and in the historic process of nuclear disarmament as a whole. It provides for the lowering of the levels of strategic nuclear warheads to 1,700-2,200 for each party by the end of 2012, that is, approximately by three times, compared to the levels provided by the START Treaty. The SOR Treaty fully meets the national security interests of the Russian Federation and will serve as a weighty contribution to the cause of strengthening international security and strategic stability. After the adoption by the State Duma of the Federal Law, as is expected, it will in the next few days be considered by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and in the case of approval will be submitted for the signature of the President of the Russian Federation. The Treaty will enter into force after the exchange of instruments of ratification between the Russian and American sides. II. Remarks by Russian Foreign Minister and US Secretary of State'Press availability: Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow, Russia, May 14, 2003'; US Department of State, Office of the Spokesman. Foreign Minister Ivanov: Distinguished Mr. Secretary of State, distinguished members of the US delegation, first of all I would like to give you my apology for the sort of delay in coming because of the session in the State Duma was rather delayed, it was about ratification of the strategic defensive reduction treaty. I would like to inform you that the State Duma of Russia has ratified this treaty by a vast majority of votes. We believe that entering the force of this treaty will become one more very important step in the development of partnership-based relations between Russia and the United States for the sake of international stability and security of our states. Some deputies asked me whether it was about giving a gift, a present to Colin Powell on the occasion of his visit to Moscow. I believe that the ratification is a present to the peoples of our two countries, ratification by the Senate of the United States and State Duma of Russia, because this document is intended to serve the interests of security of our peoples. ...' Secretary Powell: ... It's a great pleasure to be back in Moscow especially on this day when we can celebrate Duma ratification of the treaty that leads to fewer nuclear weapons in the world. And I can assure you I am pleased that our meeting started late. And, this present is better than getting a new tie, I can assure you. As you said, Mr. Minister, this was a present to our people. It was a present to the world. Not only does it reduce our overall levels of nuclear weapons, more importantly I think, it shows how the United States and the Russian Federation can work together on areas of mutual interest. ... Even though disagreements will come along from time to time such as we had with respect to Iraq, we have demonstrated with this action that we can cooperate and that which pulls us together is far more powerful than items that pull us apart. III. Remarks by Russian President and US Secretary of State'Press availability: Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, May 14, 2003'; US Department of State, Office of the Spokesman. President Putin: Before we proceed to our discussion, I think we could congratulate each other on the fact that first you in the United States successfully ratified the treaty on strategic offensive reductions, and today, as you might know, the State Duma also reciprocated and ratified the treaty. And, that was done in a very convincing way, I think, 294 members of the parliament voted for it. I believe your visit to be very timely. I think this meeting gives us a good opportunity to synchronize our watches before the upcoming summit meeting with President Bush at the end of May in St. Petersburg. Of course, we have had a lot of argument recently concerning the Iraq problem, but we have successfully overcome those differences and we succeeded in maintaining the basic foundation of our bilateral relationship and I hope that the upcoming meeting with President Bush will give a further impetus to the successful development, across the board development, of our bilateral relations in all areas. You have just completed a very important, very responsible, mission to the Middle East and therefore we would be interested in discussing this topic with you. We have again been confronted with manifestations of terrorism, the recent terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia and two terrorist acts in Chechnya, the latest has taken place today. We have a lot of matters, a lot of questions to address and deal with together concerning Afghanistan, also concerning the problem of non-proliferation, and with pleasure we would like to exchange with you information with you on the problem of North Korea. And, also our Ministers for agriculture, for energy, for nuclear power development recently met and I think our bilateral relations in those areas are developing positively. Secretary Powell: ... I cannot tell you, sir, what a deep sense of satisfaction I feel to be here in Moscow on the day the Duma ratified the treaty. [Foreign Minister] Igor [Ivanov] was late coming for our meeting because he was at the Duma, but I forgive him. This agreement, I think Mr. President, demonstrates the strength of our bilateral relationship. The exchange of visits that you just made reference to with our agricultural ministers, our energy ministers, and so many of our other ministers going back and forth talking to one another, I think illustrates the strength and the depth of our bilateral relationship. We have had disagreements in the recent past especially with respect to Iraq, but now I think we have the opportunity to move forward, and all of us join together to help the Iraqi people to a better life. And I look forward to discussing all the issues you raised with respect to the Middle East and North Korea, on non-proliferation, as well as bilateral trade issues. ... IV. Press Release by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair'Russian Duma Ratifies Moscow Treaty', Statement by Richard Lugar (Republican), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, May 14; office of Senator Lugar, http://lugar.senate.gov. The Russian Duma has ratified the Moscow treaty by a vote of 294-134. The US Senate ratified the treaty on March 6 by a vote 95-0. "The Moscow Treaty charts a course towards greater security for both the United States and Russia," said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dick Lugar, who managed the Senate floor debate on the treaty. The treaty will take the number of nuclear warheads in the two countries down to the lowest level in half a century. The Foreign Relations Committee approved the treaty on February 5 (http://lugar.senate.gov/020503.html) after holding four hearings and numerous briefings. The Committee required the White House to annually report to Congress progress in the implementation of the treaty, and how the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program is being used to destroy weapons in Russia. Since 1991, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program developed by Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) has destroyed more than 6,000 nuclear warheads and thousands of missiles and launchers in the former Soviet Union. Funding for Nunn-Lugar was held up most of last year by the Bush Administration, which contended that Russia was not living up to past treaties. Congress in late 2002 granted the President the authority to waive Nunn-Lugar funding conditions the administration used to hold up the program. The Moscow Treaty, negotiated by Presidents Bush and Putin in May 2002, reduces operationally-deployed strategic nuclear warheads to a level of between 1,700 and 2,200 by December 31, 2012. "I remember well visiting the START I and START II treaty negotiations," Lugar said. "The US and the Soviet Union faced off against each other across conference tables for years. They produced multi-volume treaties and verification annexes that described in minute detail the requirements mandated by the treaties." Lugar continued, "The Moscow Treaty recognizes that the US-Russian relationship has turned the corner. Our countries are no longer mortal enemies engaged in a worldwide Cold War. Our agreements need not be based on mutual suspicion or an adversarial relationship. We are partners in the war against terrorism and we continue to build a strong military and security partnership. The Moscow Treaty reflects the changing nature of our relationship." © 2003 The Acronym Institute. |