US and Russia close to nuclear deal

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton says she expects the US and Russia to sign a successor to the 1991 START nuclear treaty very soon.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L)  and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov  (R) chat during a press conference after talks in Moscow.(AFP/Yuri Kadobnov)

Clinton spoke in Moscow during a two-day visit for talks on a range of international issues. She met her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov to discuss the long-awaited replacement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expired on 5th December.

The treaty, which aims to control the numbers of nuclear weapons held by each country, was central to the thawing in relations between the former Cold War foes. Teams of negotiators from both countries have been hammering out a new pact over recent months in Switzerland. Clinton voiced confidence that a deal would be reached in the near future.

Hilary Clinton said, "We are making substantial progress on the new START treaty, that's the word from our negotiators in Geneva and the results from the latest negotiating rounds lead us to believe we will be reaching a final agreement soon."