This just crossed the AP newswire: U.S., Russia Delay Nuclear Weapons Treaty By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 3:57 p.m. ET MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian lawmakers postponed indefinitely a vote Tuesday to ratify a U.S.-Russian nuclear arms treaty, as the parliament speaker warned that a war against Iraq could endanger the pact. The treaty, agreed to last May by Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Bush, requires that the two nations cut their strategic nuclear arsenals by about two-thirds, to 1,700 to 2,200 deployed warheads each, by 2012. The treaty was seen as more advantageous to Russia than the now-defunct START II agreement, which specifically banned Russia from deploying land-based missiles with multiple warheads. The new deal would leave it to each nation to decide which weapons it will scrap. That would let Russia keep its Soviet-built multiwarhead SS-18 and SS-19 missiles at the core of its nuclear arsenal. Russia's lower house, the State Duma, had been expected to take up debate on the treaty Friday. But the Duma Council, which sets the legislative agenda, put off the vote indefinitely and did not set a new date. ``We consider ratification very important, but now this step is not justified,'' said Sergei Shishkaryov, the deputy chairman of the Duma's international affairs committee. He added that ``in essence, we are standing on the threshold of World War III.'' The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the treaty earlier this month, a move widely seen as part of a diplomatic effort to win Russian support for a tougher line against Iraq. But Russia opposed a U.S.-backed draft resolution at the U.N. Security Council threatening the use of force against Iraq. President Bush has abandoned diplomatic efforts at the United Nations and given Saddam Hussein until Wednesday night to leave the country or face war. ``In the event of an American strike on Iraq the fate of the entire treaty will be in question,'' Gennady Seleznyov, speaker of the Duma, said during a visit to the Czech capital, Prague. ``The Americans are striking at international law,'' he said, according to the Interfax news agency. Tuesday's postponement reflected the ambivalence of post-Cold War Russian-U.S. relations. Washington and Moscow have pursued closer ties, but the Kremlin bridles at what it regards as a U.S. penchant for unilateral action, such as its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty. Some Russian lawmakers lashed out at the United States over Iraq. ``Let them know there is a serious nuclear power that will really provide for the security of the entire world community and will never allow itself to act by the laws of the jungle,'' Interfax quoted Seleznyov as saying. Other lawmakers cautioned their colleagues against making rash decisions that could imperil the nuclear treaty and strain the overall U.S.-Russian relationship. Sergei Mironov, the speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, called the decision to put off ratification a mistake. ``This treaty plays an important strategic role for both Russia and the United States,'' Mironov said, according to the Interfax-Military news agency reported. ------- So now not only are we not living a brave new world where the US and russia don't need treaties, but we're living in one where they HAVE no treaties AND are pissed at one another over an impending military conflict. Fucking wonderful... _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail