Opponents to START driven by political agenda – expert

As the START disarmament treaty hits further snags on ratification in the US Congress, senior figures in the Republican Party are opposing the treaty. Some opponents are driven by a political agenda, expert believes.

”There is a very small group that are opposing the treaty,” Ivan Olrich of Federation of American Scientists told RT. “There are some from the Bush administration who particularly just oppose arms control on principle. They say it is not necessary, it causes more problems than it solves. I disagree with them but they have some argument there.”

However, among opponents to the deal there are also those who oppose the treaty for political reasons, Olrich added.

“They want to deny the president’s [Obama] political victory. He looks good, looks like a peace maker. He has this treaty, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. They want to retroactively delegitimise it,” he said.