The US Senate has ratified the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) clearing the threshold of two-third of the Senators present to give President Barack Obama a major political victory before Christmas. The Senate ratified the New START by a vote of 71 to 26 at dawn on Thursday. This is the most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades. It will make us safer and reduce our nuclear arsenals along with Russia. With this,our inspectors will be back on the ground at Russian nuclear bases. So we will be able to trust but verify, Obama said at a White House news conference soon thereafter. Signed with Russia early this year,New START would reduce the nuclear stock piles of the two countries to 1,500. We will continue to advance our relationship with Russia,which is essential to making progress on many challenges from enforcing strong sanctions on Iran to preventing nuclear weapons from falling into terrorists hands. This treaty will enhance our leadership to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek the peace of a world without them, Obama said. The President said that the strong,bipartisan vote in the Senate sent a powerful signal to the world that Democrats and Republicans stand together on behalf of the US security. The treaty allows the countries to conduct 18 short-notice,on-site inspections each year,with 10 Type 1 inspections,which focus on strategic systems,such as intercontinental ballistic missiles,submarines and bombers,and up to eight Type 2 inspections,which cover storage sites,test ranges and other operations. On-site inspections work in synergy with other elements of the treaty,including data exchanges on the technical characteristics,locations and distribution of weapons. Any changes in the status of strategic systems must be reported through timely notifications and biannual reports,according to the treaty. The treaty mandates that 35 facilities in Russia and 17 in the United States are subject to inspections. Russian inspectors will be permitted entry into the United States via Washington DC and San Francisco,escorted by Defense Threat Reduction Agency officials. Each side has to give 32 hours notice during normal working hours before a short-notice inspection. Once this Treaty enters into force,on-site inspections of Russias strategic nuclear weapons facilities can resume,US Secretary of State,Hillary Clinton,said.
