Differences over the Barack Obama plan to reduce the U.S nuclear arsenal, as part of the American new defense strategy has split his administration into two opposing camps. The first group led by vice president Joseph Biden, supports Obama's plan to make the issue of the reduction of nuclear arms the linchpin of the U.S foreign policy. An unnamed presidential aide calls the contemplated reduction dramatic. The second group, which opposes the plan, is led by defense secretary, Robert Gates. The disagreement has forced Obama to send back the draft of the new U.S Defense Doctrine for a redrafting and revamping, because it does not in its present form reflect the desire of the new U.S President to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.
Barack Obama first made public his cherished desire for the world in a speech in Prague, the Czech Republic in April 2009. He had then called for the creation of a mechanism that could prevent the proliferation of nuclear arms, and this issue will take the center stage at the upcoming April of this year's summit in the U.S, to be devoted to international security. Barack Obama would very much have liked to have signed before the mentioned summit, the new START treaty with Russia. It could have a bearing on the success or failure of the planned summit. The two documents are directly related and hence it would be helpful if the disagreement within the Obama administration was resolved ahead of the Washington summit, said Pavel Zolotaryev, deputy Director of the Institute for American and Canadian studies.
"Without a doubt, the disagreement has to do with the internal struggle in the U.S, precisely, arising from the opposition to Obama's nuclear weapons policy. It should be expected that the outstanding differences over the nuclear arsenal issue will be ironed out amicably, to give the green light to the signing of the new START treaty between Russia and the United States", said Zolotaryev.
By the way, on Monday, the Russian foreign ministry said that Moscow and Washington have made significant progress in their efforts at coordinating the core issues of the START treaty and that negotiations are to continue on March the 9th. Hopefully, by April, both the new U.S nuclear Doctrine and the fresh START treaty will be ready.
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