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Kartchner to discuss nuclear defense policy State department's senior adviser on strategic arms control, deterrence and missile defense issues will speak at 5 p.m. at Sunday's forum By PAUL FATTIG ASHLAND - If you have questions about our nation's nuclear missile defense policy, you can lob them to an expert on Sunday. Kerry Kartchner, the U.S. Department of State's public diplomacy representative regarding missile defense policy, will be the guest speaker at a League of Women Voters' forum on international affairs. The two-hour event begins at 5 p.m. Sunday in the Rogue River Room of the Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University. The panelists include Gene Stringer, professor emeritus of physics at SOU, and Jay Mullen, an SOU associate professor of history. The moderator will be Jeff Golden, talk radio host at Jefferson Public Radio. The public is encouraged to attend. There is no charge. Kartchner served as a consultant to the anti-ballistic missile treaty commission as well as to the group working on the START treaties between the United States and Russia. He is the state department's senior adviser on strategic arms control, deterrence and missile defense issues. The purpose of the panel is to act as surrogates for the audience, presenting questions and comments to Kartchner from the audience, said Hal Cloer, secretary of the league's Ashland chapter. "We're very fortunate to have him speaking here," said Cloer, a retired SOU psychology professor. "With the abrogation of the '72 treaty coming up next month, this is very timely." He was referring to the Bush administration's decision nearly a year ago to pull out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty to pursue an anti-missile defense shield. Kartchner's visit also comes after Russian and U.S. negotiators on Monday announced an agreement on cuts in nuclear weapons. The nation's two leaders are expected to sign the agreement at a summit next week. The arms control agreement would require each country to cut its nuclear arsenal to 1,700 to 2,200 warheads from the 6,000 now allowed by the START-I treaty. In addition to participating in the forum, Kartchner will meet with local officials during a luncheon Sunday, talk to high school and Rogue Community College students at 3:30 p.m. in the Rogue River Room in the Stevenson Union and meet with educators at 7:45 p.m. in the Rogue River Room. The forum is the result of a pilot program of the League of Women Voters Education Fund. The principal sponsors include the League of Women Voters of Ashland and the Rogue Valley, the political science department of SOU and the Associated Students of SOU. Co-sponsors the American Association of University Women of Medford and Grants Pass, the League of Women Voters of Klamath Falls and the social science department of Phoenix High School. For further information, call 482-8364 or 245-3641. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.