#3
BBC Monitoring
Russia warns of negative impact of US withdrawal from
ABM Treaty
Source: NTV, Moscow, in Russian 1100 gmt 6 Dec 01
[Presenter] In an interview for our programme, the Russian Foreign Ministry has given some clarifications regarding the Russian-American consultations on the 1972 ABM Treaty. In Moscow's view, Washington's withdrawal from the treaty on a unilateral basis would have a negative impact on the international situation as a whole.
[Aleksandr Yakovenko, director of the information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry] Our side told [US Undersecretary of State John] Bolton straight out that should the United States opt after all for unilateral withdrawal from the 1972 ABM Treaty, it would, of course, have an extremely negative impact on international stability. Our side confirmed its readiness to comply with the understandings reached between the Russian and US presidents at their last summit, which in essence boils down to holding ABM consultations with the Americans and holding consultations with the Americans on formulating an accord on radical cuts in both countries' nuclear arsenals. I should like to stress that in doing so it is very important that such cuts are irreversible and can be monitored. That's very important.