President Barack Obama's Republican foes in the US Senate might block a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with Russia until next March, their point-man on the agreement has warned in an interview.

Number-two Senate Republican Jon Kyl also told the Hugh Hewitt radio program late Thursday that there may be enough support from his party to ratify the treaty in 2010, but only if there were "plenty of time" to debate it.

But "if they (Democrats) try to bring it up with only three or four days of debate, then I think Republicans, even those who are predisposed to support the treaty, would vote against it," on principle, he said.

Republicans would "then agree to have it considered, say, next March or so," said Kyl, who has already warned there is not enough time in the waning year-end session to approve the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

The treaty must come up next week "no later than the middle of the week, if there is to be time to consider it, to debate it," he warned. "And even then, I think it's probably too short."

The White House has worked for months to ease what Republicans say are their concerns: That the treaty may handcuff US missile defense plans, and that more money is needed to ensure that the US nuclear arsenal stays up to date.

Kyl pledged to make his position on the treaty "crystal clear next week," after making it clear to the White House that the "resolution of ratification" — not the treaty itself — would need to be amended to reflect his worries.

But while Kyl has declined to say explicitly whether he favors the treaty, his office has repeatedly sent reporters arguments for killing the pact.

earlier related report

Senate may vote soon on Russia nuclear arms treaty: Clinton
Washington (AFP) Dec 3, 2010 –

Republican senators are close to bringing a nuclear arms treaty with Russia to a vote this month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview released Friday.

"It's like a no-hit game. We've made a lot of progress, but it's not done until it's done," Clinton told The Cable, a Foreign Policy magazine blog, on the sidelines of security talks in Bahrain.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, a Democrat, said early Thursday that negotiations were making progress toward unlocking Republican opposition and setting the stage for a vote.

Clinton predicted the treaty will secure the 67 yes votes needed to implement it if and when the deal reaches the Senate floor.

"I believe we have enough votes that recognize the national security importance of doing this. But I'm not counting the chickens until they vote," the chief US diplomat said.

The administration hopes to have the Senate vote on the treaty before Republicans, who made major gains in November elections, take their seats next month in a new Senate where President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats face a sharply reduced majority.

Republicans have vowed to block action on the treaty this year, seeking ironclad assurances that the treaty would not handcuff US plans to deploy a missile defense system and calling for billions of dollars to pay for upkeep of Washington's nuclear arsenal.

But some have also privately said over the past few months that they aim to deny Obama what would be a major diplomatic victory.

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