US, Russia discuss nuclear arms cuts

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-25-2009 09:22

US and Russian negotiators have met in Rome for talks on a new treaty to reduce nuclear weapons.

Rose Gottemoeller (R), U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Verification and Compliance, and Anatoly Antonov, director  of the Russian MFA Department of Security and Disarmament,  shake hands at a news conference at the U.S. embassy in  Rome April 24, 2009. U.S. and Russian negotiators held a  "productive" initial round of talks in Rome aimed at  securing a new treaty to curb nuclear weapons, they said on Friday, ahead of fully-fledged negotiations in the United States in May. REUTERS/Max Rossi (ITALY POLITICS)

The negotiations aim to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, before it expires in December. That landmark deal capped the number of warheads and delivery systems. Both sides say they are ready for further cuts.

More meetings will take place in Washington and Moscow in the next two months, ahead of US President Barack Obama's first visit to Russia in July.

The new treaty is considered the first step in the no-nukes agenda embraced by Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in a joint April 1 declaration.

Editor:Xiong Qu