May 25, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 12,1423

MOSCOW, May 24: The nuclear arms reduction treaty signed Friday by US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin commits each side to cut its nuclear arsenals by two-thirds to their lowest level ever.

The world’s two largest nuclear powers currently deploy around 6,000 strategic nuclear warheads, aimed at long-range targets from submarines, bombers and land-based missiles known as vectors.

Here are some of the key points of the three-page treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions:

PREAMBLE: The United States and Russia agree to nuclear weapons cuts on the grounds that they are “embarking upon the path of new relations for a new century” and believe that “new global challenges and threats require the building of a qualitatively new foundation for strategic relations.”

COMMITMENTS: The treaty obliges each side to “reduce and limit” strategic nuclear warheads “so that by December 31, 2012, the aggregate number does not exceed 1,700-2,200 for each party.” “Each party shall determine for itself the composition and structure of its strategic offensive arms” based on the limit set by the treaty.

RATIFICATION: The treaty requires ratification by the Russian parliament and the US Senate in line with the US and Russian constitutions. The treaty shall enter into force on the date the two countries exchange instruments of ratification.

IMPLEMENTATION: The United States and Russia shall hold meetings at least twice a year of a bilateral commission tasked with implementing the treaty.

WITHDRAWAL: Russia or the United States can withdraw from the treaty after providing the other party with a three-month written notice. The treaty will remain in force until December 31, 2012 but can be extended by agreement. —AFP