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Russia says nuclear talks must involve all UN permanent members

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Russia is proposing that all permanent UN Security Council members take part in nuclear disarmament talks between Moscow and Washington, the Russian foreign minister said on Thursday.
MOSCOW, February 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is proposing that all permanent UN Security Council members take part in nuclear disarmament talks between Moscow and Washington, the Russian foreign minister said on Thursday.

"We would like at the given stage... the other permanent members on the UN Security Council to join the Russian and American efforts," Sergei Lavrov said.

The UN Security Council permanent members are Russia, the United States, Britain, France and China.

The Russian foreign minister said it should be remembered that in addition to official there are still unofficial nuclear powers like India, Pakistan and Israel and some powers like North Korea, who are on the brink of possessing nuclear weapons after previous successful tests.

Officials from the new administration of President Barack Obama have said Washington was committed to a further reduction in nuclear arms, adding that negotiations with Russia would need to pick up pace.

The Strategic Arms Reduction (START-1) Treaty signed between the Soviet Union and the United States in 1991 expires on December 5, 2009.

The START-I Treaty places a limit of 6,000 strategic or long-range nuclear warheads on each side, and limits the number of delivery vehicles, such as bombers, land-based and submarine-based missiles, to 1,600 each.

Moscow and Washington agreed in 2002 to cut strategic nuclear warheads to 1,700-2,200 by the end of 2012, and reports say a new treaty could bring the totals on each side down to 1,000.

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