Obama, Medvedev to discuss START, N.Korea, Iran in Singapore

WASHINGTON, November 9 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. and Russian presidents will discuss strategic arms cuts, as well as North Korea and Iran, during a meeting in Singapore during the weekend, the White House said Monday.

"Obviously, we'll continue to talk through issues that they've spent time working on, most notably the START Treaty that expires I believe the 5th of December, and continue discussions about North Korea and Iran," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told journalists.

Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will meet during a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member states. APEC forum meetings began on Sunday and will culminate in a summit on November 14-15.

START I (the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the basis for Russian-U.S. strategic nuclear disarmament, is valid until December 5. The two countries' leaders have expressed the hope that a new pact will be ready before it expires.

Six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., Russia, Japan and China on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ground came to a halt in April when North Korea walked out of negotiations in protest against the United Nations' condemnation of its missile tests.

The West suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program but the Islamic Republic says it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes.

APEC comprises 21 states, including Australia, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Japan.