The US Senate voted down an amendment to a new nuclear arms pact with Russia Saturday that would have blocked ratification and sent the treaty back into negotiations with Moscow, dpa reported.
The Senate voted 59 to 37 against the amendment introduced by Republican Senator John McCain proposing to remove language from the treaty preamble that refers to missile defence. The revision would have forced US and Russian officials to renegotiate that aspect of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START.
Republicans opposed to New START say it could constrain US development of missile defence. The treaty recognizes the "interrelationship" between offensive and defensive strategic weapons.
President Barack Obama and the Democrats reject the Republican interpretation, saying the preamble is not legally binding and it in no way limits missile defence.
"The New START treaty places no limitations on the development or deployment of our missile defence programmes," Obama said in a letter sent to Senator Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate.
US Senate votes down amendment to block New START
The US Senate voted down an amendment to a new nuclear arms pact with Russia Saturday that would have blocked ratification and sent the treaty back into negotiations with Moscow, dpa reported.
