WASHINGTON - July 6 - In response to today's announcement by Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev concerning a follow-on agreement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation commended the leaders' progress but warned that there is still much to be done.

"Today's events represent progress, but there is still a long way to go," said John Isaacs, executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. "It took George W. Bush eight years to unravel U.S.-Russian relations, and it will take Barack Obama more than eight months to stitch things back together."

START expires on December 5, 2009. The expiration will mean the loss of the ability to legally limit and verify the two countries' still enormous numbers of deployed nuclear weapons and delivery systems.

Added Isaacs: "There is a very good chance things could drag into 2010 because of the time-consuming nature of the newly-created commissions, negotiations over specific numbers, and gaining approval in the U.S. Senate."

"The congressional picture will come into better focus once more details and specific numbers are agreed upon," concluded Isaacs.

For background information on the START follow-on negotiations, visit the START Resource Center.