By North America Correspondent Jane Cowan and wires
The Obama administration is breathing a sigh of relief, with its nuclear arms treaty with Russia appearing to be headed for approval in the Senate.
Prominent Republicans had been vocally opposed to ratifying the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), but the Democrats today secured 67 votes backing a motion to limit further debate.
The 67 votes is the same number needed to secure Senate approval, and the final numbers are likely to be even stronger because several senators who support the treaty were absent from the floor today.
A final vote on the accord is set for tomorrow, after lawmakers debate a rash of last-minute amendments.
Democratic Senator John Kerry estimates there will be 70 votes in favour of the treaty.
“I would say to you that in today’s Washington, 70 votes is yesterday’s 95. I feel pretty good,” he said.
But he cautioned: “This is not over. We have to count every vote.”
The treaty, which would cut strategic atomic weapons deployed by each country to no more than 1,550 within seven years, was signed by president Barack Obama and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in April.
It is a centrepiece of Mr Obama’s bid to “re-set” relations with Russia, which has been increasingly cooperative on issues related to US national security, from curbing Iran’s nuclear program to the war in Afghanistan.
Source: www.abc.net.au
