Russia Calls To Preserve Abm Treaty, Will Offer Draft To U.n. General Assembly

Russia intends to address the 56th United Nations General Assembly session with a draft resolution to preserve the ABM treaty and comply with it, said Georgi Mamedov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, as he was in conference with Robert McNamara, former US Secretary of Defence, and Graham, once second in charge of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Messrs. McNamara and Graham, currently visiting Moscow, are at the top of a nongovernment Lawyers' Alliance for Global Security. Georgi Mamedov was referring to the ABM treaty as one of the international legal pillars of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. He evaluated Russian-US consultations on the intertwined strategic offensive and defensive arsenal issues, and pointed out optimistic prospects for further consultations, reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press and information department. Moscow approves constructive progress of the Russian-US dialogue, especially at the top level, as the two countries are working for closer partnership in all its aspects, said Mr. Mamedov. Russia is willing to get bilateral strategic partnership onto a new level in gradual efforts. This partnership must base on disarmament, arms control and nonproliferation treaties and agreements made within a few recent decades preserved and buttressed, stressed the vice-minister. Among central issues on the agenda was the global situation coming to an edge as international terrorist danger is getting ever worse. The conferees discussed efforts for a global coalition to fight the 21st century plague under the United Nations aegis.