Obama enlists big guns to save START

Nov 19, 2010 |

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Washington, Nov. 18: The US President, Mr Barack Obama, summoned a number of former defence secretaries and secretaries of state of both major political parties to the White House to rally support for an imperilled nuclear weapons treaty with Russia.

Those invited included secretary of state, Ms Hillary Rodham Clinton, the senate foreign relations committee chairman, Mr John Kerry, Mr Richard Lugar, and former Senator, Mr Sam Nunn, the former secretaries of state Ms Madeleine Albright, Mr James Baker and Mr Henry Kissinger.

Former defence secretaries, Mr William Cohen and Mr William Perry, and former national security adviser, Mr Brent Scowcroft, also were included. The White House said Mr Obama wanted to discuss why it is in the national interest that the Senate approve the treaty this year, a move that a key Senate Republican says would be premature. The White House is mounting an all-out push for rating the treaty, which Mr Obama has made a foreign priority.

Press secretary, Mr Robert Gibbs said he believes the New START deal will come up and pass during the lame-duck Congress.

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