14 April 2000

Text: Gore on Russian Lawmakers' Ratification of START II Treaty

(Urges intensified discussions on START III, ABM Treaty)  (250)

The White House issued the following statement April 14 in which Vice
President Al Gore welcomed the vote by lawmakers in the Russian Duma
to ratify START II, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty:

(begin text)

The White House 
Washington, D.C.
Office of the Vice President
April 14, 2000

STATEMENT BY THE VICE PRESIDENT ON START II TREATY

I welcome today's vote by the Russian State Duma to approve the START
II Treaty, which would further reduce the strategic nuclear arsenals
of both our countries to one-third Cold War levels. After pursuing
this goal at the highest levels of the Russian government and
parliament through the U.S.-Russia Binational Commission over the past
seven years, I am gratified that the State Duma has taken this
important step and that the Russian people have joined us in doing
what is manifestly in our shared interests and in the interest of a
safer world. I encourage President-elect Putin and his government to
join us in building upon today's progress by intensifying our
discussions on START III and the ABM Treaty, and working toward the
day when our children no longer need fear the threat of nuclear war.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)