Trump hails ‘great progress’ on Korean nuclear crisis

South Korean official says Kim Jong-un is committed to denuclearisation

March 09, 2018 10:45 pm | Updated March 10, 2018 04:26 pm IST - Washington

United States
 President Donald Trump.

United States President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed “great progress” in attempts to resolve the Korean nuclear crisis after the White House said the President accepted an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a face to face meeting.

“Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!,” Mr. Trump posted on Twitter.

Earlier a visiting South Korean delegation conveyed the invitation for talks from Pyongyang to the Trump administration.

South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-Yong told Mr. Trump that Mr. Kim was committed to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and no longer objected to joint military exercises by South Korea and the U.S. North Korea will also refrain from further nuclear and missile testing, Mr. Chung told reporters at the White House.

He said the President agreed to meet Mr. Kim in May.

Maximum pressure

The White House portrayed the breakthrough as a success of Mr. Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on North Korea, declaring that there will be no let up in pressure and denuclearisaiton remained the objective of the U.S.

Mr. Trump had called Mr. Kim “Little Rocket Man” and Mr. Kim had called the American President a “dotard” and a “lunatic” in the recent past.

American war preparations have also progressed simultaneously, bringing to the forefront the huge risks associated with a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.

A significant section of American strategic thinkers have already concluded that America must learn to live with a nuclear North Korea.

A senior administration official said Mr. Trump’s approach has been different from his predecessors who authorised several rounds of talks with the North. “If we look at the history of these negotiations that took place under prior administrations, they have often led to the relinquishing of pressure. They have often led to concessions being made to North Korea in return for talks. President Trump has been very clear from the beginning that he is not prepared to reward North Korea in exchange for talks,” said the official.

The White House official said the terms of a settlement is not on the agenda right now, but as and when that stage is reached, inspection and verification of North Korea’s nuclear programme would be part of it.

Acceptable deal

“Obviously, verification goes hand in hand with any kind of acceptable deal for the permanent denuclearisation of North Korea, and we will settle for nothing less than that outcome. It’s the outcome that the entire world expects, as exemplified under all those UN Security Council resolutions — the four of them that have passed in the time that President Trump has been in office and under his leadership,” said the official.

North Korea’s willingness to ignore the U.S-South Korean joint military exercises is a climbdown for Pyongyang, and encouraging for Washington. China has been proposing ‘freeze for freeze,’ i.e discontinuation of tests by the North and exercises by the South and the U.S., as an initial step towards a diplomatic breakthrough.

Pyongyang’s apparent willingness to act outside of this framework might allow Mr. Trump to work independently of China on the crisis. Joint exercises are now due, thought dates have not been announced. China welcomed the decision for talks, saying the nuclear issue is moving in the right direction.

Explaining the rationale of a summit meeting in such complicated circumstance and at such high risks, the official said: “President Trump made his reputation on making deals. Kim Jong-un is the one person who is able to make decisions under their authoritarian — uniquely authoritarian — or totalitarian system. And so it made sense to accept an invitation to meet with the one person who can actually make decisions instead of repeating the, sort of, long slog of the past.”

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