Obama Seeks Arms Deal by Year End
The Wall Street Journal reports:
YOKOHAMA, Japan—U.S. President Barack Obama promised his Russian counterpart a "full-court press" to ratify their nuclear arms accord this year, before a more Republican Senate makes passage considerably more difficult.
In a private meeting here, where both men are attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Mr. Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty by December is his top priority for the lame-duck session of Congress, which begins Monday.
The Democratic majority will be down to 58, after a new Republican senator, Mark Kirk, assumes the seat Monday once held by President Obama. Ratification of a treaty requires 67 Senate votes, a tall order which will be taller still next year when the Democratic majority is down to 53.
"I reiterated my commitment to get the START Treaty done during the lame duck session, and I've communicated to Congress that it is a top priority," Mr. Obama told reporters Sunday morning ahead of his return flight to Washington.
A senior administration official said worries are rising that a failure to ratify the treaty could harm other outreach efforts to Moscow, including cooperation on Afghanistan and efforts to get Russia into the World Trade Organization. Mr. Medvedev will attend next week's summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Lisbon, and his presence could be an irritant as NATO leaders discuss expansion eastward.
