U.S. and Russia work on Arms treaty

ROME — U.S. and Russian negotiators emerged optimistic Friday after discussions aimed at creating a deal to reduce their nuclear weapon stockpiles.

The goal is to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty before it expires in December. The deal capped the number of warheads and reduced ways of delivering them. Both sides have said they are ready for further cuts.

Friday’s meeting focused on procedural issues, setting the agenda for further discussions. More meetings will take place in the next two months, officials said.

The two sides hope to meet the deadline for a new deal, said Anatoly Antonov, chief of security and disarmament issues at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

A treaty would not only boost relations, but would also help efforts by the U.S. and the international community to stop nuclear programs by countries like Iran and North Korea, said Giuseppe Anzera, an international relations professor at Rome’s La Sapienza university.

"When the United States and Russia take such a position in favor of nonproliferation, they have much more weight in dealing with those countries who are trying to develop nuclear weapon programs,” he said.

by the associated press

Cuba and U.S. searching better relations

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad — Trading their warmest words in a half-century, the U.S. and Cuba built momentum toward renewed ties on Friday, with President Barack Obama declaring he "seeks a new beginning” — including direct talks — with the island’s communist regime.

As leaders of the Americas gathered for a summit in this Caribbean nation, the head of the Organization of American States even said he’ll ask his group to invite Cuba back after 47 years.

In remarks kicking off the weekend gathering of nations — of which Cuba was the only country in the region not represented — Obama repeated the kind of remarks toward the Castro regime that marked his presidential campaign.

Analysts cautioned that the week’s developments were encouraging but do not necessarily mean normalized relations are around the corner

"This is a thaw, but it’s ... going to take some time,” said Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. "There’s a lot of distrust.”

The flurry of back-and-forth gestures began earlier this week when Obama dropped restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, challenging his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, to reciprocate.

Obama renewed his promise for his administration to engage with the Cuban government "on a wide range of issues,” including human rights, free speech, democratic reform, drugs, immigration and the economy.