Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says a new strategic arms reduction treaty with the United States is a priority.
Lavrov was addressing a disarmament conference in Geneva Saturday, a
day after his first formal meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton.
Lavrov told the conference that Russia wanted to see not only a limit to nuclear warheads but delivery systems as well.
On Friday, Lavrov and Clinton signaled a fresh start in relations and
pledged to reach an agreement on a treaty to replace the current
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) by the time the current pact is scheduled to expire on December 5.
Lavrov called the 1991 START agreement "obsolete" and agreed with
Clinton's position that it was important to immediately begin work on
negotiating a new treaty.
Clinton said the discussions with Lavrov had been productive and
covered a range of issues of mutual concern, including arms control,
nuclear non-proliferation, Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea.
Both Clinton and Lavrov acknowledged that sticking points remain in a
number of areas including U.S. involvement in Kosovo and Russia's
policies in Georgia after last year's military sweep into that country.
Secretary Clinton said the two countries share growing concerns about
Iran's nuclear development but acknowledged differences over how to
pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged drive for nuclear weapons.