US to withdraw from 1972 missile treaty

President George W. Bush has decided to give Russia notice that the United States will withdraw from the 1972 nuclear treaty that bans testing of missile defence systems, US government officials said today.

Bush will announce the decision in the next several days, effectively invoking a clause in the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that requires the US and Russia to give six months’ notice before abandoning the pact.

The White House planned to announce the decision on Thursday, but officials cautioned that date could change. The four government officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

With the decision, Bush takes the first step toward fulfilling a campaign pledge to develop and deploy an anti-missile system that he says will protect the US and its allies, including Russia, from missiles fired by rogue nations. Bush has said the September 11 terrorist attacks heightened the need for such a system.

Russia and many US allies have warned Bush that withdrawing from the pact might trigger a nuclear arms race. Critics of the plan also question whether an effective system can be developed without enormous expense.

Administration officials have said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had assured Bush during their October talks in Washington and Crawford, Texas, that US-Russian relations would not suffer even if Bush pulled out of the treaty.

They said Bush’s decision reflects a desire by the U.S. Defence Department to conduct tests in the next six months or so that would violate the ABM.

Bush defended his position anew during a national security speech today at the Citadel, a military academy in North Carolina.

‘‘Last week we conducted another promising test of our missile defence technology,’’ he said.

‘‘For the good of peace, we’re moving forward with an active programme to determine what works and what does not work. In order to do so, we must move beyond the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a treaty that was written in a different era, for a different enemy.’’

‘‘America and our allies must not be bound to the past. We must be able to build the defenses we need against the enemies of the 21st century,’’ he said.