WASHINGTON — Senior Obama administration officials urged the Senate on Tuesday to swiftly ratify a new arms-reduction treaty with Russia, arguing it would improve ties with Moscow and build pressure on adversaries such as Iran and North Korea.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that while the new START treaty did not solve all the nuclear issues between Moscow and Washington, it would pay dividends by convincing non- nuclear nations that the United States is committed to trimming its stockpile to reduce the world’s nuclear dangers.
But Republican members signaled their skepticism. They argued Tuesday that despite administration assertions to the contrary, the treaty could limit expansion of American missile defenses.
