MOSCOW, May 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and the United
States have a good chance of reaching an agreement on a new
arms control treaty, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on
Tuesday after informal talks in the U.S.
The two countries have pledged to draft a new arms
reduction treaty to replace the Cold War-era START 1 treaty
that expires in December since President Barack Obama took
office in January.
"The informal rounds of talks ... have helped both
countries understand that they have a good chance of overcoming
differences and agreeing terms on controls over strategic
offensive weapons and nonproliferation worldwide," Lavrov told
reporters who were onboard the plane from the U.S.
The first round of "full-format" talks on the new treaty
are due to take place in Moscow on May 18, with the aim of
providing a draft for the pact before Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev and his U.S. counterpart meet in July.
Lavrov visited the U.S. to prepare for the summit and met
with Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other
officials.
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