Duma Receives Bill On Suspension Of CFE Treaty
MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - The State Duma received a bill on the suspension of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, a statement published on the Duma's official web site says.
Putin signed the decree on the suspension of Russia's membership in the CFE Treaty on July 14.
The decree was signed "given the extraordinary circumstances related to the content of the CFE Treaty of November 19, 1990 which affect Russia's security and which require urgent measures," the document says.
The suspension will take effect 150 days after the receipt of notification by the treaty depositaries and signatories. At the president's instruction, the Russian Foreign Ministry forwarded these notifications on July 14, 2007.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry said: "In practical terms, in particular, the provision on information and the organization of inspections will temporarily halt. Russia will also not be bound by any limits on conventional armed forces during the period of the suspension. However, the actual amounts of Russian military hardware will depend on the evolution of the military-political situation, including the preparedness of other CFE signatories to display appropriate restraint.