National
Security Advisor James Jones [upper right] and his delegation
in Moscow,
seek to finalize a nuclear reduction treaty before President
Obama
receives the Nobel Peace Prize - apparently with the Kremlin's
full cooperation.
Facing them is Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Kommersant, Russia
Obama Seeks Nobel Prize
'Deadline' for START III Treaty
"On
December 10 in Stockholm, he [Obama] will be awarded the Nobel Prize. And our
partners would like to see the document signed before Barack Obama accepts the Peace
Prize. We have no objection to this."
National Security Advisor to President
Obama, General James Jones, spent the day in Moscow yesterday, holding a series
of meetings with Russian officials responsible for preparing a new Strategic
Arms Reduction Treaty (START-III). Noting "substantial progress" in
talks that had some "difficult moments," both sides tried their best
to conceal the contents of the treaty. However, Kommersant managed to clarify
the central points. The White House is in a rush to sign a new START agreement
by December 10, when Barack Obama will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
Stockholm - and Russia is willing to do him this favor.
Mr. Jones’ arrival in Moscow
was presented by Russian authorities as the last stage of preparations for a
new Russian-American agreement on strategic arms - work which has being going
on for the past year. "We believe that the visit couldn't be more timely,"
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, welcoming his guest. "Only the most
intensive work will make it possible to comply with the agreement of our two presidents,
to do everything needed to conclude a new treaty on strategic arms, timed to
come into effect as soon as the current agreement expires."
The "old agreement"
- START-I - expires on December 5, and Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry
Medvedev set the task for negotiators of finalizing the new deal by that date. Yesterday's
events demonstrated that both Washington and Moscow intend to do whatever it
takes to meet the timetable chosen by the heads of state. James Jones arrived
to Russia accompanied by an impressive delegation that included assistant
secretary of state for verification and compliance, Rose Gottemoeller, deputy undersecretary
of defense for policy, James Miller, and assistant secretary for international security
and nonproliferation, Harry Heylor.
The fact that General Jones
discussed preparations for the new treaty with Foreign Minister Lavrov, Chief
Foreign Policy Aide Sergey Prikhodko and Secretary of Russia's Security Council
Nikolay Patrushev is evidence that both sides intend on conclude the new
agreement at a greatly accelerated pace. Moreover, Jones handed the Russian
side a package of American proposals which, according to Foreign Minister
Lavrov, "confirms the progress of the negotiations."
What the essence of these
initiatives is, neither the American nor Russian side is explaining. "Given
the sensitivity of the topic, it is in the best interests of both sides not to
disclose details of the talks before the signing of the new agreement,"
one of the Russian negotiators told Kommersant. However, on Wednesday, without
going into detail, Sergey Prikhodko said that "some difficulties remain"
in preparations for START-III.
Previously, one of the most
contentious issues has been the mutual reduction of nuclear warhead delivery
systems, as well as Russia’s demand to address both defensive and offensive
strategic weapons. During Barack Obama’s July visit to Russia, Washington and
Moscow agreed to reduce the number of warheads from 1,500-1,675 units. But they
could not reach a consensus on the number of warhead delivery systems. Russia
insists on a drastic reduction (to 500 units), while the U.S. offered to a
limit of 1,100, which is almost the same number of delivery systems currently available
to the Pentagon.
One of the Russian participants
in yesterday’s talks with General Jones told Kommersant that the issue of
delivery systems and the linking of offensive and defensive weapons have been
resolved. "We found compromise solutions to these treaty parameters,"
the negotiator told Kommersant, while refusing to disclose the details. And
then he went off script: "Yet, we still have a number of concerns about which
we and the Americans have not yet agreed. But there is movement."
Mr. Lavrov, in turn, assured
that the new treaty would definitively link defensive and offensive weapons. "Talks
are continuing. But I have a strong belief that the two types of weapons will
be linked. Believe me," the minister told journalists.
While flatly refusing to
disclose any details on the remaining differences and the progress that has
been made, both sides are nevertheless expressed optimism that the agreement
will be signed on time.
"We are working based on
the timetable set by the presidents of Russia and the United States, which
includes the signing a new treaty by December 5. That is our focus as well as
the focus of the Americans. We haven’t had any delays or breaks in the talks. Delegations
remain in constant contact and are working actively," Russian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Andrey Nesterenko told Kommersant.
His statement was echoed by Celeste
Wallander, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and
Eurasia.
"Our differences have been
considerably narrowed. This is a significant shift compared to the situation a
year ago, when the only communications between the United States and Russia took
place in forums and through the media, and negotiators were unable to
meaningfully engage in their work," commented Mrs. Wallander, on progress at
the START III negotiations.
The latest results of talks
on START-III will be known in two weeks. According to Foreign Minister Lavrov, Barack
Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will discuss the highly-critical document on November
14, when they meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in
Singapore.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
"During the APEC summit,
negotiators are most likely to brief the presidents on the nearly-finalized agreement,
and invite them to make final decisions on the most vexing issues," a
Kremlin source told Kommersant. He added that the White House seeks to
ensure that the agreement is signed on time. "On December 10 in Stockholm,
he [Obama] will be awarded the Nobel Prize. And our partners would like to see
the document signed before Barack Obama accepts the Nobel Peace Prize." The
source explained to Kommersant, "We have no objection to this."
Many international media outlets
have called Mr. Obama’s prestigious award "an advance" that he will
have to work off. The U.S. president himself, having learned that he had won
the Nobel Prize for "creating a new climate in international politics,"
self-critically remarked that he, too, was surprised by the decision of the
Nobel Committee.
"To be honest, I don't
feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative
figures who have been honored by this prize," Barack Obama admitted
modestly.
Reaching a agreement with
Russia on nuclear disarmament agreement will certainly enhance esteem for the
American leader and put to rest all the talk of how his achievements are greatly
exaggerated.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
President Barack
Obama has achieved reductions in many U.S. military programs. The budget for fiscal
year 2010 is $680 billion; with $550 billion considered the "base"
budget and the remaining $130 billion for combat operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. As
noted by The New York Times, "When the Obama
administration proposed canceling a host of expensive weapons systems last
spring, some of the military industry’s allies in Congress assumed, as they had
in the past, that they would have the final say."
As a result, Barack
Obama managed to limit military spending and fulfill almost all of his plans with
respect to cutting expensive programs. The president cited a Government
Accountability Office report that found cost overruns totaling $296 billion
across 96 major defense projects over the last year. That amount of money, the
president said, would have paid for troop salaries and military family benefits
for more than a year. As a result, many programs included in the U.S. military
budget proposal were as cut. As the newspaper notes, "Mr. Obama took
advantage of a rare political moment to break through one of Washington’s most
powerful lobbies and trim more weapons systems than any president had in
decades."
