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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 24 June 2020
U.S., Russia hold new nuclear arms talks, but without China

By DAVID RISING with our Russian colleagues
Associated Press but with our Chinese coun-
BERLIN (AP) — American terparts," he said.
and Russian negotiators In Brussels, NATO Secretary
have concluded a round General Jens Stoltenberg
of nuclear arms control said he would prefer China
talks in Vienna, aimed at to be part of any future
producing a new agree- agreement, but that in the
ment to replace the New absence of that extending
START treaty that expires in New START is the right thing
February — the last remain- to do. "We should not end
ing pact constraining the up in a situation where we
arsenals of the world's two have no agreement," he
major nuclear powers. said. Billingslea said China
U.S. negotiator Marshall Bill- had refused an American
ingslea told reporters Tues- invitation to be part of the
day that a day of high-lev- Vienna talks, but that he
el "marathon discussions" hoped the international
ended late Monday night community would pressure
and had been productive Beijing to take part in the
enough to conclude with future.
the establishment of sever- "The United States is not en-
al technical working groups gaged in an arms race,"
to delve deeper into the is- Marshal Billingslea, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for arms control on talks with Billingslea said. "Of course
sues with the idea of pav- Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on nuclear arms control, informs the press in we will not be left behind,
ing the way for a second Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, June 23, 2020. but we seek to avoid this,
round of talks by late July Associated Press and this is why a three-way
or early August. nuclear arms control deal,
"We both agreed at the Forces treaty with Russia, a "We presented our view Billingslea told reporters at in our view, has the best
termination of our talks that Cold War-era agreement and will keep doing so," a press conference held by chance of avoiding an in-
the strategic environment that both sides had repeat- Ryabkov told the Interfax the American delegation credibly destabilizing three-
has changed significantly edly accused the other of agency. "We are running that any new agreement way nuclear arms race."
since the New START treaty violating. out of time." must include all nuclear Ryabkov said Russia be-
was signed," he told report- The INF treaty was also criti- He added, however, that weapons and not just stra- lieves that other nuclear
ers. "We can all remember cized because it did not the establishment of work- tegic nuclear weapons, powers should join future
back 10 years ago, the cover China or missile tech- ing groups was "a signifi- and also subject China to nuclear arms deals, but
world is, in fact, a radically nology that did not exist a cant step forward" and said restrictions. added that a decision to
different place." generation ago. the talks were conducted All options, he said are "def- join could only be volun-
New START, signed in 2010, New START can be extend- in a positive atmosphere initely on the table." tary.
imposes limits on the num- ed by five years by mutual and reflected a shared de- "Our ultimate decision, "We are well aware of Chi-
ber of U.S. and Russian consent. sire to move forward. which is in the hands of the na's position, we respect
long-range nuclear war- Sergei Ryabkov, the Rus- U.S. President Donald Trump president, whether he de- it and we don't see any
heads and launchers. sian deputy foreign minister has called New START "just cides to extend the New sign that the Chinese posi-
It became the last nuclear who led his country's del- another bad deal" made START treaty or allow it to tion could change in the
arms pact between the egation in Vienna, told re- by the Obama administra- run its course, is going to direction the U.S. desires
two nations after the U.S. porters in Moscow that he tion, and it was not clear be very much driven by the in a foreseeable perspec-
last year scrapped the In- had reiterated the position whether he would agree to extent to which we have tive," he said, according to
termediate-range Nuclear that it should be. an extension. made progress, not just Interfax.q

Cyprus probes alleged groping of girls at migrant center

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) meeting on Monday. elsewhere while authori-
— Cyprus’ interior minis- But Nouris criticized the of- ties worked to confirm the
ter said Tuesday that he ficial for not immediately girls’ ages, a process she
asked police to launch a disclosing the allegations said takes too long.
criminal investigation into to Cypriot authorities and The UNHCR said in a state-
allegations that girls stay- instead waiting four days ment that the ministry
ing at a migrants’ recep- to report them in parlia- didn’t follow through with
tion center were sexually ment. The children’s rights a plan to create a “safe
harassed by other resi- commissioner of Cyprus, zone” for children during
dents. Despo Michaelidou-Livani- work to expand and up-
Interior Minister Nicos ou, told The Associated grade the center. Boys
Nouris told state broad- Press that a number of girls and girls shared facilities
caster CyBC that he takes were allegedly groped as like showers with adults A police officer stands guard as migrants stand inside a
“very seriously” the allega- they waited in line for a while separated only by refugee camp in Kokkinotrimithia outside of Nicosia, Cyprus,
tions made by an official meal at the Pournara mi- curtain. on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.
from the Cyprus office grant reception center. “UNHCR has communi- Associated Press
of the U.N.’s High Com- The commissioner criti- cated the heightened to the Ministries of Interior tion of the unaccompa-
mission for Refugees at a cized the Interior Ministry protection risk this causes and Social Insurance, call- nied minors,”the agency
parliamentary committee for not housing the minors to the children in writing ing for adequate segrega- said. q