Clinton in Moscow to push arms treaty, Middle East

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, also in Moscow for a Friday meeting of Middle East mediators, urged Russia and the United States to sign the new arms control pact "as soon as possible" during talks with President Dmitry Medvedev.

President Barack Obama has tried to "reset" relations with Russia after a stormy period under his predecessor George W. Bush. But his administration needs results from its initiatives to counter Republican charges he is too soft on Moscow.

Clinton's 36-hour visit to Russia includes Friday's meeting of the Middle East quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- and talks with Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on arms control and Iran.

Russian and U.S. teams have been negotiating for nearly a year on a successor to the 1991 START I treaty cutting arsenals of nuclear weapons by up to a third. Lavrov said Tuesday that they could have a deal ready for signing by early April.

"We are making very good progress. I can't predict to you exactly when the agreement will be completed but ... we are getting closer," Undersecretary of State William Burns told reporters as Clinton flew to Moscow.

Shortly before Clinton was to meet with Lavrov Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said the arms pact was almost complete.

"Most, practically all of the fundamental part (of the treaty) is already agreed," Nesterenko told reporters.

He said negotiators were resolving "specific technical issues," largely involving a hefty annexe to the agreement and questions of translation.

Medvedev and Obama pledged last year to cut each nation's deployed nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 but trust between the two former Cold War foes remains elusive.