According to President Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, a current CIA Chief Secretary and Kim Jong-Un, North Korean leader met and “a good relationship was formed” between the two countries. This unexpected meeting “went smoothly” based on what Trump told us via Twitter. Trump also wrote: “Denuclearisation will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!”
Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week. Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2018
Trump also announced that the two countries were having talks at “extremely high levels” and that they are organizing a possible meeting which is going to take place at one of the five potential locations. If this summit is to be organized, it will happen in early June, most likely. Two officials confirmed the meeting, and they wanted to stay anonymous since they weren’t authorized to speak of such matters.
The Washington Post was the first one to report on the topic, and they said that the meeting was held over Easter weekend. This happened right after Pompeo’s nomination for Secretary of State. This was confirmed by the two anonymous White House officials. Reports claim that it was Kim Jong-Un who proposed the conference to Trump and everyone was surprised that he accepted it. The two sides are going to discuss the nuclear weapons program, and this could be the first summit between the United States and North Korea since the Korean War.
This might represent a great move for the United States because North Korea has nuclear weapons with long range, threatening the US mainland also. The formal diplomatic relations between the two countries don’t exist, which further complicates the arrangements, and it is not a surprise to have a US intelligence official as a conduit for communication with the North Korean leader. Last time a US intelligence official visited Pyongyang was when James Clapper went there in 2014 to bring back two American detainees.
China encourages dialogue between the two countries and their foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying pointed out that it is important for the US and North Korea to find a way in order to reduce the tensions between the two countries. It is essential to note that South Korea and North Korea are still at war because the ceasefire was signed but not a peace treaty.
On the summit, North Korea may not immediately accept denuclearization, but it is highly likely that such thing would happen after a few talks. Without a doubt, it is positive to have the two sides discussing the matter, and it could lay the groundwork for a comprehensive agreement on the subject. Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “I’m optimistic that the United States government can set the conditions for that appropriately so that the president and the North Korean leader can have that conversation and will set us down the course of achieving a diplomatic outcome that America and the world so desperately need.”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Pompeo should be voted Secretary of State and this meeting confirms it. She tweeted: “Dems have an opportunity to put politics aside, acknowledge our national security is too important, and confirm Mike Pompeo. Statesmanship.”
However, the Democratic Party is not eager to place Pompeo on the seat of Secretary of State, and Sen. Robert Menendez announced that he would voice against Pompeo. The vote will take place next week and Menendez said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies: “Now I don’t expect diplomacy to be negotiated out in the open but I do expect for someone who is the nominee to be secretary of state, when he speaks with committee leadership and is asked specific questions about North Korea, to share some insights about such a visit.”
On the other hand, Republican Senator Cory Gardner supported Pompeo’s nomination, and he told the Democrats to stop playing politics. He said: “This is a very important and delicate negotiation taking place and I have full confidence in Mike Pompeo. That’s why he needs to be confirmed.”
What is your take on the topic?
source: news.com.au
