TIME: Clinton and Yeltsin Agree To Disagree (3/24/97)

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Gingrich, Republicans Slam Clinton-Yeltsin Pact

Gingrich, Livingston and Cox assail Helsinki agreement on missile defense

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, March 24) -- Congressional Republicans are assailing the missile defense agreement reached last week between President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

During their summit last week in Helsinki, Finland, Clinton and Yeltsin drew a line between anti-missile systems to be considered legal and illegal under the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

The agreement keeps legal the six programs the U.S. currently has under development, but would bar so-called "Star Wars" space-based missile defenses.

"If allowed to stand, this decision will place the lives of our brave fighting men and women -- and ultimately millions of Americans -- in jeopardy," wrote House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Reps. Bob Livingston (R-La.) and Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) in a statement released Sunday.

The note called missile defense "a matter of life and death" and said Clinton had chosen "the false security of diplomats and lawyers over the long-term safety of the American people."

The note serves as an opening shot in an upcoming congressional debate. The Clinton-Yeltsin agreement would modify the 1972 ABM treaty and thus requires congressional approval.