Political Quotes

“let me just read one paragraph from this: If Russia chose to develop and deploy rail-mobile ICBMs, such missiles and their launchers would be subject to the Treaty and its limitations. That is according to our State Department. Specific details about the application of verification provisions would be worked out in the Bilateral Consultative Commission. So, in other words, if Russia decides to build these things, then the verification has to be worked out by the Bilateral Consultative Commission. It isn't that it is set in there exactly what would happen, but the verification certainly would have to be worked out. The bottom line is, we believe there is ambiguity because of the statements made by the Russians themselves. That is the problem. If the Russians, in their statements in the Duma, if they have been saying: Yes, we agree with exactly the interpretation the Americans have been making, it would be a different story and we probably wouldn't need this amendment. But because their statements--Senator Kerry's counterpart in the Russian Duma has said the Americans are trying to bring into this New START treaty mobile launchers, and the Russians don't think they should be in there. So we think we should clarify that language in a very unambiguous way, based on my amendment, to make sure there is no question on each side.”