#6038
[Second Issue of the Day]
#16
Parlamentskaya Gazeta
No. 17
2002
[translation from RIA Novosti for personal use only]
STATE DUMA RESOLUTION ON ABM
On Priority Measures in Connection with the Decision of the United States of America on Unilateral Withdrawal from the Treaty Between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems of 26 May 1972
In the past few decades the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russian Federation) and the United States of America have signed a number of treaties on strategic offensive weapons and anti-ballistic missile systems. Their implementation allowed the sides to considerably reduce their nuclear arsenals, strengthen mutual trust, and facilitate the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles. The task of further mutual strengthening and deepening of these positive changes looked logical and possible in the near future.
The decision of the United States of America on unilateral withdrawal from the Treaty Between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems of 26 May 1972 was wrong and will have a destabilising effect, because it will actually destroy the existing system of international treaties of ensuring strategic stability, which has proved highly effective, and create practical prerequisites for a new spiral of the arms race.
The State Duma shares the evaluation of the decision of the United States of America provided by President Vladimir Putin.
Being guided by Point 2 of Article 2 of the 4 May 2000 Federal Law No. 56-FZ "On the Ratification of the Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Weapons," the State Duma points out that conditions have arisen that can be termed as force majeure in terms of the provisions of Article VI of the said Treaty.
Proceeding from the above, the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation hereby resolves:
1. To ask the President of the Russian Federation:
- to order immediate consultations with the houses of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the issues of ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation and preserving strategic stability in view of the decision of the United States of America on unilateral withdrawal from the said Treaty and with due consideration for Article 3 of the Federal Law "On the Ratification of the Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Weapons";
- to instruct the Government of the Russian Federation to submit to the houses of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in the first quarter of 2002 the annual report on the situation in the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation, the progress of the implementation of international treaties of the Russian Federation in the sphere of strategic offensive weapons and anti-ballistic missile system, as well as proposals on the variants and stages of development of the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation and systems that ensure their operation and application, with due consideration for the plans of the United States of America concerning the deployment of the national anti-ballistic missile system and economic possibilities of the Russian Federation.
2. To ask the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to hold a joint discussion by the spokesmen of the houses of the said report of the Government of the Russian Federation.
3. To instruct the State Duma Commission on the implementation of the Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Weapons (START-2 Treaty), the Treaty Between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems of 26 May 1972 (ABM Treaty) and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and on the signing of a new treaty on further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive weapons (START-3 Treaty) to prepare and submit for the consideration of the State Duma in January 2002:
- proposals on the composition of representatives of the State Duma for regular consultations with President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation on issues of ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation with due consideration for the obtaining situation in the sphere of strategic offensive weapons and anti-ballistic missile system;
- a plan of work of the aforementioned Commission until 13 June 2002 to analyse the obtaining situation in the sphere of strategic offensive weapons and anti-ballistic missile system, the implementation of corresponding international treaties of the Russian Federation, and the elaboration of proposals for consideration by the State Duma.
4. To forward this Resolution to President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council and the Government of the Russian Federation.
5. To forward this Resolution to Parlamentskaya Gazeta for official publication.
6. This Resolution comes into force as of its adoption.
Gennady N. Seleznev,
Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Moscow
16 January 2002
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