American Decision To Stock Nuclear Warheads Is No Threat To Russia

General Colonel Valery Manilov, former first deputy Chief of General Staff, Russian Armed Forces, currently a member of the Federation Council, believes that the American decision to stock a part of ammunition removed from nuclear missiles is of no threat to Russia's national and military security. He said this on Thursday in an interview with RIA Novosti, while commenting on the statement by Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, which concerned the planned American cuts of strategic offensive arms. Manilov welcomed these plans, calling at the same time for the US "to make transparent its plans of nuclear ammunition storage." "It is inadmissible to allow the stocked ammunition to be turned into a so-called 'returnable potential'." "The American administration's commitments must be fixed in legal documents, in order to avoid the possibility of equipping American nuclear missiles with the stocked ammunition," the general said. According to Manilov, Russia is ready to continue the dialogue with the US on nuclear disarmament which may even result in total elimination of nuclear weapons provided that all "nuclear powers" support this initiative.