Russian senators pleased with outcomes of Russia-US consultations

The Russian Federation Council, or the upper parliamentary house, has given a high assessment of the outcomes of the consultations Russian and US experts held in Moscow discussing the preparation of a new bilateral Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, START. The Treaty is expected to be signed in Moscow in the third decade of May when President George W.Bush is visiting the city. This proves that Russia has again managed to persuade its American partners to act observing the rules Russia believes to be beneficial, according to Mikhail Margelov, in charge of the Federation Council's related committee. "We have managed to persuade the Americans that an agreement written on paper is better than a verbal one," said Mr Margelov. Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov also believes the agreement Russian and US experts reached in Moscow to be a success. The most important thing is both countries' willingness to cut their strategic arsenals, and a common feeling that the "cold war" is a past, said the speaker.