国际英语新闻：New arms treaty likely to be signed in Prague: Kremlin

MOSCOW, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Prague is the most likely venue for the signing of a new nuclear arms control deal between Russia and the United States, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a Kremlin source.

"Prague is considered to be the most likely venue for the signing of a strategic arms reduction treaty. All the documents are ready for signing," the unnamed source was quoted as saying.

"The final decision on the time and venue for the signing will be made by the Russian and U.S. presidents," the source added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that the pact was 20 pages long, with an extensive protocol attached.

Russia and the United States have been working on a new arms treaty since Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama met in April last year, in an effort to "reset" bilateral ties sunk to post-Cold War lows under the Bush administration.

However, the two sides failed to work out a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-1) before it expired in December last year, with the U.S. plans to deploy elements of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe being a major sticking point.

An outline of the new treaty, agreed on by both presidents, includes slashing nuclear warheads to 1,500-1,675 and delivery vehicles to 500-1,000.