On the recordDecember 21, 2010
This amendment was filed sometime this afternoon. It deals with an important subject, which is germane to the debate that we are having with regard to the New START treaty. One of the predicates for improving the START treaty is the so-called reset of our relationship with Russia. Of course, the President, as recently as November 18, 2010, made a statement, which is in this amendment: "The New START Treaty is also a cornerstone of our relations with Russia" for the reason that "Russia has been fundamental to our efforts to put strong sanctions in place to put pressure on Iran to deal with its nuclear program." Accordingly, the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification of the New START Treaty is conditioned on the expectation that the Russian Federation will cooperate fully with United States and international efforts to prevent the Government of Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability. What this amendment does is to provide some assurance that all those intentions and statements actually come to pass.
