US arms treaty passes latest hurdle in Russia

Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament on Friday passed in a second and penultimate reading the ratification bill for a landmark nuclear disarmament pact with the United States, A total of 349 deputies in the 450-strong Duma voted in favour of the ratification bill for the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), a Duma spokesman told AFP.
The START treaty is at the heart of efforts by Moscow and Washington to improve ties after years of bickering and was signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama in Prague last year. After much deliberation, the US lawmakers approved the treaty last month and the Kremlin pledged that the Russian parliament would follow suit. Earlier in the day Russia's lawmakers approved non-binding amendments to the bill countering those made by the US Senate.