Russia condemns new US sanctions on North Korea
- de Lidia Salgado
- dentro Global
- — Mar 11, 2018
The U.S. has consistently demanded North Korea give up its nukes, which the reclusive socialist state had previously insisted was off the table until Washington abandoned its "hostile policy" toward it. At a minimum, the Americans wanted a halt in nuclear and missile testing for talks to begin.
Kim Yo-Jong, who also attended Monday's dinner, and other senior North Korean officials met with Moon during the Olympics, conveyed Kim Jong Un's invitation to visit Pyongyang and expressed their willingness to hold talks with the United States. "I seriously doubt it", Coats said.
Kim noted to the South Koreans that were it not for fear of an attack, he wouldn't have any use for the nuclear program in the first place, according to Abraham M. Denmark, director of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. A series of tests in the past year appeared to take North Korea to the brink of such capability, even as the country suffered one round of economic sanctions after another.
Global stock markets rose on the news about North Korea. We have come, certainly, a long way, at least rhetorically, with North Korea. Chung's trip also was the first known high-level visit by South Korean officials to North Korea in about 11 years. Drian's opposite, Mohammad Javad Zarif, accused France of playing U.S. games.
"We hope all relevant parties could see this as a window of opportunity and jointly work for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula", he added. However, all hopes for a thaw were dashed when only a month later, the North, defying international warnings, launched a rocket into the outer space. John McCain, R-Ariz., counted himself "a little more optimistic" than Coats. Kim's first objective is gaining concessions from South Korea, the UN and possibly the U.S. for sanctions relief.
Why is North Korea acting now?
"But if he really has been playing 'crazy' in some clever game, it's an extremely dangerous one with horrific possible consequences for people on the Korean peninsula, Japan and elsewhere in the region".John Park, the Korea working group director at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, shed further light on the messages Chung was reportedly bringing to Washington.
"The United States strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons to conduct an assassination", Nauert said.
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday told party leaders that Seoul would not settle for simple nuclear nonproliferation or freeze. Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Peace Prize for setting up a summit with Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, in 2000.
President Trump said the US was ready to ‘go hard in either direction’ALAMY
"I think [US] President [Donald] Trump and Vice President [Mike] Pence made this very clear".
Trump said Kim's apparent willingness to negotiate is likely due to the sanctions, and China's role in applying them.
Under Trump, there is now a greater possibility that the deal could be improved, he said.
The sanctions include a termination of aid to the North, except for urgent humanitarian needs, a termination of arms sales to the regime, and a denial of any credit or other financial assistance.
The South Korean expert argued that excessive expectations could only lead to disappointment among the general public, if Moon fails to fulfill his promise during the meeting.
"We'll see what happens", Trump told reporters Tuesday before meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in a session devoted mainly to trade and tariffs.
Kim Jong-Nam was assassinated by a nerve agent as he walked through Kuala Lumpur airport. Pyongyang is already pushing Seoul to either scale them back or call them off indefinitely, a move some in Washington believe would be a dangerous sign of appeasement. He explained the 2 sides agreed to hold a summit in Panmunjom in late April.
"The United States is openly preparing for a war of invasion, to reverse the situation on the Korean Peninsula", the KCNA statement read, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Since North Korea pulled out of so-called six-party denuclearization talks in 2009, Pyongyang has developed new nuclear capabilities.
