Bush withdraws from 1972 missiles treaty
US President George W Bush has pulled out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missiles Treaty, which banned the US and Russia from testing inter-continental weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Bush invoked article 15 of the treaty, which obliges one party to give six months’ notice of its
intention to withdraw.
The US Ambassador to Russia delivered formal notice of the plan to Russian officials at 9.30am Irish time today.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already signalled his opposition to move, which, he said, could unravel the fabric of arms control following three decades of painstaking negotiations.
Mr Bush wants to scrap the 29-year-old treaty so he can be free to test weapons of mass destruction for use in his controversial ‘Son of Star Wars’ missile defence system.
He claims that this multi-billion dollar satellite system is necessary because of the threat of attack on the US from so-called "rogue states" like Iraq, Iran, Libya and North Korea.
"I have concluded the ABM Treaty hinders our Government’s ability to develop ways to protect our
people from future terrorist or rogue-state missile attacks," Mr Bush said.
"Defending the American people is my highest priority as commander-in-chief and I cannot and will not allow the United States to remain in a treaty that prevents us from developing effective defences."
Peace campaigners fear Mr Bush’s determination to develop the missile defence system will lead to a new global arms race like the one which culminated in the Cuban Missile Crisis at the height of the Cold War in 1962.
With Mr Bush attempting to boost US military power, his enemies are also expected to increase funding for the development of new weapons capable of matching American might.
The controversial "Star Wars" system, which the US claims will only be used to intercept missiles fired from abroad, will have the ability to bomb any city in the world from space.
