White House: New START treaty can be ratified this year
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The White House said on Wednesday that the new START treaty, aimed to cut nuclear arsenals in the U.S. and Russia, can be ratified by the Senate this year, despite opposition from the Republicans.
"The president will continue to push this and believes the Senate should act on it before they go home," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
Approval of the treaty needs 67 votes in the Senate, which means the Democrats need the support of eight Republican Senators. The Obama administration has been pushing for approving the treaty by year-end, as it will be more difficult to get it done in next year's new congressional session after the Democrats lost ground in the midterm elections.
Obama's agenda was dealt a serious blow after Republican Senator Jon Kyl, a key figure on the issue, said on Tuesday that he does not think the treaty should be brought to the Senate for vote this year, citing busy Senate schedule and complexity of the treaty.
Despite the setback, Gibbs said the Obama administration believed there are enough votes in the Senate to pass the treaty, believing it is crucial to nuclear inspection and relations with Russia.
"I don't think it's going to get pushed into next year,'' he added.
On April 8, President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, signed the new START treaty, replacing the previous pact that expired in December last year. The new treaty will cut nuclear war heads held by both countries to 1,550 respectively, a roughly 30 percent reduction from the previous treaty. The treaty needs to be ratified by legislators of both countries before taking effect.
