US-Russia nuke deal extended

WASHINGTON: The United States and Russia have extended the US-funded program that pays for the dismantling of weapons of mass destruction inherited by Russia from the former Soviet Union, the White House said Monday.   

The move gives the Cooperative Threat Reduction Agreement (CTR) another seven years. The accord was concluded in 1992 under then-US president George Bush and won a previous extension in 1999.   

"CTR programs are a key tool used to deal with one of the gravest threats we face -- the danger that terrorists and proliferators could gain access to weapons or materials of mass destruction," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.   

CTR programs have led to the deactivation of thousands of missiles and warheads, and have helped upgrade security at Russian nuclear warhead sites, Snow said in a statement.   

In addition, "CTR programs have assisted Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine to become free of nuclear weapons and strategic delivery systems, and helped many states to prevent the proliferation of sensitive materials," said Snow.