US President George W. Bush flatly declared today that the US would withdraw on our timetable from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, a long-standing cornerstone of arms control.
In one of his most explicit statements on the issue, Mr Bush told reporters the 30-year-old accord hampered US ability to keep the peace because it prohibited deployment of a missile defense shield. He said he had made that clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We will withdraw from the ABM treaty on our timetable," Mr Bush said. "I have no specific timetable in mind," he added.
But administration officials have said crucial decisions must be made before Mr Bush and Mr Putin met in November at Mr Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
The treaty requires either side to give six months' notice of its intent to withdraw.