MOSCOW, May 19, SPA -- The Russian Foreign Ministry says Russian and U.S. negotiators have begun talks on a new agreementintended to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles. The talks are intended to work out a replacement to the1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START I, whichexpires in December. The Foreign Ministry said the two-day talks started inMoscow Tuesday. The negotiating teams are led by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller and thechief of the Russian Foreign Ministry's security and armscontrol department, Anatoly Antonov. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said thenegotiators must work out specific proposals to beconsidered by the nation's leaders when President BarackObama visits Russia in early July, according to a report of Associated Press.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/665873