Washington-- Senate Democrats defeated a Republican amendment Saturday that would have taken out language that recognizes a relationship between offensive and defensive weapons from the preamble of the New START treaty, the proposed nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
The vote was 59-37 against the amendment, which was put forward by Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. He had argued the language would constrain American plans for missile defense.
The vote against the amendment helps to clear the way for the Senate to debate ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty -- known as New START -- though it is unclear when a final vote might take place.
If the amendment had passed, Democrats had said the United States would have been required to go back to Russia and renegotiate the treaty.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted for ratification of the accord in September. A vote from the full Senate has yet to occur.
The treaty would resume mutual inspections of U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, while limiting both nations to 1,550 warheads and 700 launchers each.
