Legislators in the lower house of Russia's parliament on Friday passed a set of conditions they say are required for the country to honor a pivotal nuclear arms pact with the United States, reacting to a similar resolution by the U.S. Senate, AP reported. The State Duma voted 349-57 with two abstentions to pass a ratification bill of the New START treaty in the second of three readings. The house is to hold the final vote on Jan. 25, after which the treaty will go to the upper house for final approval. Prospects for the pact's passage aren't in doubt, but Russian lawmakers want to respond to the Senate resolution with a similar motion. That resolution said the treaty shouldn't restrict U.S. plans to develop a missile defense system. In response, the Duma ratification bill says the treaty can only be fulfilled if emerging missile defenses don't erode the Russian nuclear deterrent. The Russian draft bill also emulated the Senate resolution that mentioned increased funding for the U.S. nuclear arsenal by emphasizing the need to modernize Russia's nuclear forces. Neither the Senate, nor the Duma resolution would affect the text of the treaty, which is a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's efforts to «reset» ties with Russia under President Dmitry Medvedev. «The treaty is fully balanced and fully conforms with Russia's national interests,» Konstantin Kosachyov, the head of Duma's foreign affairs committee, told the lawmakers. «I have not the slightest doubt that the Russian Federation will treat the agreement with the highest degree of responsibility.» The New START would limit each country to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200 and also re-establish a system for monitoring that ended with the expiration of a previous arms control pact. Obama pressed strongly for the pact's approval, and Democrats sought to appease some Republican senators by allowing them to raise their concerns about the treaty in the accompanying resolution. In response, the Russian legislators felt obliged to outline their own interpretation of the treaty's provisions. Russia's Foreign Ministry helped them draft the ratification bill. -- SPA
