Global Zero Leaders Respond to Obama/Medvedev Joint Statement on Nuclear Weapons

View Global Zero Plan at www.globalzero.org

MOSCOW, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- "Of course -- as is always the case in serious
negotiations -- there are a host of difficult issues that must be resolved in
order to reach a new arms control agreement," said Ambassador Richard Burt,
who was the top U.S. negotiator for the START 1 negotiations and now leads
Global Zero, an international coalition working to eliminate nuclear weapons.
"But the presidents' joint statements today make it clear that they will not
let these issues stand in the way of the priority goal they set April 1:
establishing joint U.S.-Russian leadership to reduce their two arsenals and to
lead an international effort for the elimination of all nuclear arsenals to
zero."

"The key to achieving global nuclear disarmament is the improvement of US
Russia relations," said Senator Mikhail Margelov, Chair of the Committee of
International Relations in the Russian Federation Council and a founding
member of the Global Zero initiative. "We face a number of stumbling blocks
including the expansion of NATO and missile defense systems in Eastern Europe,
but these are issues we can work through. Our main goal must be to create a
world without nuclear weapons."

"In Russia, both President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin believe in global
zero," said Igor Yurgens, senior adviser to the President and a founding
member of the Global Zero initiative. "They believe that a world without
nuclear weapons must be the goal both for the Russian Federation and for
mankind. We hope and trust that the commitment on START negotiations agreed
during President Obama's visit will be a step in the right direction."

Global Zero is spearheaded by a group of more than 100 leaders worldwide,
including many who have worked at senior levels with issues of national
security such as former heads of state, former foreign ministers, former
defense ministers, former national security advisors, and more than 20 former
top military commanders.

SOURCE Global Zero

Trevor FitzGibbon for Global Zero, +1-202-406-0646