Nuclear arms deal angers some Russians

MOSCOW, Russia -- The Kremlin has been accused of caving in over a landmark U.S.-Russian arms control deal.

The accusation, from Russian nationalists, contrasted with the view of some moderates who said the deal did not go far enough.

Russia and the United States on Monday announced a pact to cut each nation's existing store of between 5,000 and 6,000 nuclear warheads by about 65 percent.

"Together, the countries that spent four decades glowering at each other across the wall of hatred and fear now have the opportunity to transform Euro-Atlantic security for the better," NATO Secretary-General George Robertson told a NATO meeting in Iceland on Tuesday.

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But the accord, to be signed by U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit in Moscow next week, was not welcomed in Russia.

Outspoken Russian nationalist Alexei Mitrofanov called it "an erroneous decision."

He said U.S. missile defence plans should prompt Russia to increase its nuclear arsenal instead of shrinking it.

He told the State Duma: "We are doing a favour to the United States. They form a shield and we break our sword.

"We must reserve the right to have as many missiles as possible so that we could deploy them under every tree."

Even moderate lawmakers were cautious in their view of the new pact, which involves cuts in each country's nuclear arsenals to 1,700 to 2,200 warheads from the approximately 6,000 that each is now allowed.

Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of the Duma's international affairs committee, called the agreement more political than military.

"This is not the maximum we've been striving for," he said.

Putin praised the new arms reduction agreement Monday, and Bush said it would liquidate the legacy of the Cold War.

In the U.S. the treaty drew praise on Capitol Hill, but will still be subject to some tough scrutiny.

"Eliminating these weapons of mass destruction would make Americans more secure and the world a safer place," said Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services strategic subcommittee, said: "The best reduction, the most final reduction, is to destroy the warheads."

That, he said, would "avoid creating a limit that could be easily undone by changing signs on the warheads" from "nonoperational" to "operational."

NATO foreign ministers are meeting on Tuesday to approve a partnership with the alliance's former Cold War enemy Russia for cooperation on terrorism, arms control and crisis management.