Kyl: Stall START

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) should not be considered in the final weeks of the 111th Congress, according to Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.).

“When Majority Leader Harry Reid asked me if I thought the treaty could be considered in the lame duck session, I replied I did not think so given the combination of other work Congress must do and the complex and unresolved issues related to START and modernization,” Kyl said in a statement Tuesday.

The treaty was signed in April by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. If ratified by the Senate, both countries would be expected to limit their nuclear arsenals to 1,500 warheads.

Although Kyl’s opposition represents a significant obstacle, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, still believes the treaty can be passed before the end of the year.

“I talked with Senator Kyl today and I do not believe the door is closed to considering New START during the lame duck session,” Kerry said in a statement.

Stressing the importance of the treaty, Kerry added, “ratifying New START is not a political choice, it’s a national security imperative.”