Boost for Barack Obama as US Senate approves new nuclear treaty

Published on Wednesday 22 December 2010 16:35

The United States Senate has approved a new strategic nuclear arms treaty with Russia, handing President Barack Obama a major foreign policy victory in his drive to improve ties with Moscow and curb the spread of atomic weapons to other countries.

• Barack Obama signs the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act before winning backing for the new nuclear treaty with Russia. Picture: AP

The Senate voted 71-26 in favour of ratification after a contentious debate that threatened traditional bipartisanship on national security affairs.

Thirteen Republicans broke with their top two leaders and joined 56 Democrats and two independent in providing the necessary two-thirds vote to approve the treaty.

The accord, which still must be approved by Russia, would restart on-site weapons inspections as successors to President Ronald Reagan have embraced his edict of "trust, but verify".

Vice-president Joe Biden presided over the Senate and announced the vote. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton observed the vote from the Senate floor. Both had lobbied vigorously for the treaty's approval.

The vote was an endorsement of Mr Obama's effort to improve relations with Russia and gave a lift to his drive to resume arms control in an attempt to curb the pursuit of nuclear weapons by countries like North Korea and Iran.

"With this treaty, we send a message to Iran and North Korea that the international community remains united to restrain the nuclear ambitions of countries that operate outside the law," said Senator John Kerry, who led the debate on the accord.

Even the Senate's Number three 3 Republican, Lamar Alexander, endorsed the accord, saying he was assured US defences would not be weakened.

The treaty will leave the US "with enough nuclear warheads to blow any attacker to kingdom come," Mr Alexander said on the Senate floor.

• Analysis: The confrontations are still to come

The treaty will reduce long-range, strategic atomic weapons deployed by each country to no more than 1,550 within seven years. Deployed missile launchers would be cut to no more than 700.

Passage of the treaty was a big victory for Mr Obama just weeks after he was crippled in November congressional elections. His Democratic Party lost control of the House of Representatives and retained the Senate with a narrow majority.

However, it angered some Republicans.Senator Jim DeMint, a treaty opponent, charged that a "fired, unaccountable Congress" had pushed through the treaty under the pressure of a Christmas holiday deadline after "back-room trading" produced billions of dollars in nuclear modernisation funding.

"The treaty had no chance of ratification until the President agreed to billions of dollars of modernisation of our nuclear weapons," he said.

The successful vote came on the day Mr Obama fulfilled a campaign vow and signed a landmark law repealing the ban on gay men and women serving openly in the US armed services.

The new law ends the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy that forced gays to hide their sexual orientation or face dismissal from the military. Its repeal comes as US public opinion on such issues as gay marriage and gay rights has grown more tolerant.

"I say to all Americans, gay or straight, who want nothing more than to defend this country in uniform, your country needs you, your country wants you, and we will be honoured to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known," Mr Obama said at the signing ceremony.

Speaking at the Interior Department, Mr Obama was interrupted by shouts of "Thank you, Mr President!"

"I couldn't be prouder," Mr Obama responded.