Russia to propose new dates for New START consultations to U.S., but there will be pause for now - deputy FM

MOSCOW. Nov 29 (Interfax) - Moscow will offer Washington new dates for a meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) but there will be a certain pause in this area for now, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

"We will offer new dates to the Americans some time later. However, that won't happen immediately, all at once, and apparently some kind of pause will follow after what happened," Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow.

As to what the Americans should do, Ryabkov said, "We are not conducting the dialogue with preconditions. Of course, we would like to coordinate a workable program for the future session, which would be balanced and meet the interests of both sides," he said.

However, "it was important for us to send a political message now that the session has been delayed," Ryabkov said. "This is so, and in this case the major issues that prevail in general on our agenda with the United States are more important than certain techniques and mechanisms of work within the New START framework at this point," he said.