时事资讯:美俄就削减核武器达成共识

【英文原文】

U.S., Russia Set Arms Treaty Goals

摘要：美国总统奥巴马和俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫周一达成框架协议，将把双方的战略核武器削减至多三分之一，但他们还面临着一系列困扰双边关系的棘手问题需要解决。

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reached a framework agreement Monday to cut their strategic nuclear arsenals by as much as a third, but they left open a host of issues vexing U.S.-Russian relations.

The two heads of state had a 'very useful and very open, businesslike conversation' -- as Mr. Medvedev put it -- on issues from Iran to Georgia to missile defense. Still, after a four-hour session, the leaders made it clear Mr. Obama has work to do to smooth over tensions when he delivers what aides call a major speech Tuesday to the Russian people on democracy, open society and the two countries' difficult relationship.

'We've had some frank discussions, and there are some areas where we still disagree,' Mr. Obama said, singling out Georgia, where tensions remain high after last year's war. As the presidents met Monday, Russian troops, tanks and warplanes conducted massive live-fire exercises just across the border from Georgia.

Still, the summit met the U.S. goal of fixing numerical targets for a nuclear arms reduction treaty that negotiators hope to conclude by Dec. 5. That is when the governing Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expires. Under the agreement, deployed nuclear warheads targeted at each country would be reduced to between 1,500 and 1,675 over seven years from the current ceiling of 2,200. The cut is in line with negotiators' initial targets.

Nuclear weapons delivery systems would be reduced to between 500 and 1,100 from the current ceiling of 1,600. That wide gap reflects continued division over four U.S. Trident submarines, the entire U.S. B-1 bomber fleet and dozens of B-52s that have been either converted to release conventional weapons use or mothballed. The Russians want such 'phantom' nuclear delivery systems counted under the treaty's ceiling, further limiting active U.S. nuclear weapons launchers. Washington wants them ignored.