MOSCOW, March 9 (RIA Novosti) - A new Russia-U.S...

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1), the backbone of post-Cold War arms control, expired on December 5, and there is no formal replacement to it yet.

"This link [between missile defense and strategic arms] will of course be reflected," Lavrov told journalists.

Asked what kind of link it will be, the Russian minister said it will be "legally binding," recalling that the Russian and U.S. presidents confirmed the link last summer and told the two countries" negotiators to include it in the document.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said early in March that Russia and the United States are close to completing negotiations on the new treaty, and expressed the hope that the document could be signed soon. The talks were to resume in Geneva on Tuesday after a 10-day break.

Russia and the United States have been negotiating a replacement to START 1 since the two countries" presidents met in April last year, but finalizing a document has dragged on, with

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