Medvedev, Obama to sign new arms deal

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and his American counterpart Barack Obama said on Sunday they will sign a new strategic arms' reduction agreement before START-1 expires.

Before they met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum Summit in Singapore, both Heads of State confirmed the necessity of an agreement to reduce nuclear arms, said Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov.

Reports quoting Lavrov said both Presidents repeated they will do everything to reach an agreement to reduce strategic arms before December 5 when START-1 expires.

The Russian Foreign Minister recalled that last July, Medvedev and Obama instructed their delegates about strategic arms cutting.

US and Russia representatives held several rounds of talks in the Swiss city to conclude an agreement to replace START-1 this month.

Although they could reach an agreement, local experts say US refuses to accept Russian demands to eliminate differentiation between offensive and defensive strategic arms. -

Prensa Latina