Tobbaco

[webfact]

Despite Tillerson overture, White House says not right time for North Korea talks

By Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom

 

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson concludes his remarks on the U.S.-Korea relationship during a forum at the Atlantic Council in Washington, U.S. December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - No negotiations can be held with North Korea until it improves its behaviour, a White House official said on Wednesday, raising questions about U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's offer to begin talks with Pyongyang any time and without pre-conditions.

 

"Given North Korea's most recent missile test, clearly right now is not the time," a White House official told Reuters.

 

Tillerson said on Tuesday the United States was “ready to talk any time North Korea would like to talk," appearing to back away from a key U.S. demand that Pyongyang must first accept that any negotiations would have to be about giving up its nuclear arsenal.

 

The White House has declined to say whether President Donald Trump, who has taken a tougher rhetorical line against North Korea than Tillerson, gave approval for the overture.

 

A day after Tillerson's comments at Washington's Atlantic Council think tank, the White House official, who declined to be named, laid out a more restrictive formula for any diplomatic engagement with North Korea.

 

"The administration is united in insisting that any negotiations with North Korea must wait until the regime fundamentally improves its behaviour," the official said. "As the secretary of state himself has said, this must include, but is not limited to, no further nuclear or missile tests."

 

In his speech, however, Tillerson did not explicitly set a testing freeze as a requirement before talks can begin. He said it would be “tough to talk” if Pyongyang decided to test another device in the middle of discussions and that “a period of quiet” would be needed for productive discussions.

 

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Wednesday appeared to walk back part of Tillerson's proposal, saying there would have to be a suspension of North Korean nuclear and missile tests for an undefined length of time before any talks could take place.

 

"And we certainly haven't seen that right now," she told reporters, insisting Tillerson had not unveiled a new policy and was "on the same page" as the White House.

 

Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's weapons advances have grown this year and recent exchanges of bellicose rhetoric have fuelled fears over the risk of military conflict.

 

Tillerson's relationship with Trump has been strained by differences over North Korea and other issues, and he has seen his influence diminished within the administration. Senior administration officials said late last month that Trump was considering a plan to oust Tillerson, though the secretary of state has dismissed that.

 

Tillerson said in his speech that Trump "has encouraged our diplomatic efforts." Trump, however, tweeted in October that Tillerson was "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with North Korea.

 

CHINA, RUSSIA WELCOME TILLERSON OFFER

 

Tillerson's overture came nearly two weeks after North Korea said it had successfully tested a breakthrough intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that put the entire United States mainland within range.

 

North Korea has made clear it has little interest in negotiations with the United States until it has developed the ability to hit the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-tipped missile, something most experts say it has still not proved.

 

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said following Tillerson's speech that China welcomed efforts to ease tension and promote dialogue to resolve the North Korea standoff.

 

Russia also welcomed Tillerson's statement, the Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying.

Ahead of Tillerson's speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to develop more nuclear weapons while personally decorating scientists and officials who contributed to the development of Pyongyang's most advanced ICBM, state media said on Wednesday.

 

Despite that, a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tillerson’s remarks followed speculation North Korea might be willing to talk having announced it had completed a major milestone with last month’s missile test and suggested he was trying to take advantage of a potential opening.

 

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Ben Blanchard in Beijing, Polina Devitt in Moscow; Editing by Clive McKeef and Alistair Bell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-12-14

[Langsuan Man]

41 minutes ago, webfact said:

Despite Tillerson overture, White House says not right time for North Korea talks

I really wonder how long Tillerson can put up with the flunkies in the White House under cutting him at every opportunity

 

Must be pretty frustrating being America's top diplomat in name only 

[Grouse]

Tillerson seems to be quite the statesman!

 

He should resign for being undermined by Delta Tango.

[stevenl]

He'll be gone really soon, just needs to fulfill one full year till after his official start, so he doesn't have to pay taxes on the shares he had to sell.

[quadperfect]

Its embarrassing. I thought the usa had it more together than this kind of crap going on.  Its almost as if us Americans need to do our own thai style coup. Get the  lones out of the house.  But our military keeps running into other ships. So not sure what good they would do either.  Never in my 54 years has America seemed so un organized.

[Somtamnication]

Like oil and water, those two. (Trump and Tillerson). What a circus.

[chilli42]

It’s being run like a Corporate head quarters rather than a government.  This will not be foreign territory for Tillerson but presumably he had enough of this nonsense on the way up.

[Krataiboy]

Good cop, bad cop. All the best soap operas have them.

[NanLaew]

11 hours ago, stevenl said:

He'll be gone really soon, just needs to fulfill one full year till after his official start, so he doesn't have to pay taxes on the shares he had to sell.

It's probably the only thing that's keeping him coming into the office every morning IMHO.

[Trouble]

Seems to me that we have another story in which no facts are known.  An unnamed source in the White House seems to have more news value that the Secretary of State because it seems to show conflict between the State Department and the Administration. 

 

"A day after Tillerson's comments at Washington's Atlantic Council think tank, the White House official, who declined to be named, laid out a more restrictive formula for any diplomatic engagement with North Korea.

 

"The administration is united in insisting that any negotiations with North Korea must wait until the regime fundamentally improves its behaviour," the official said. "As the secretary of state himself has said, this must include, but is not limited to, no further nuclear or missile tests."

 

"In his speech, however, Tillerson did not explicitly set a testing freeze as a requirement before talks can begin. He said it would be “tough to talk” if Pyongyang decided to test another device in the middle of discussions and that “a period of quiet” would be needed for productive discussions."  

 

Somehow we are led to believe that what Tillerson does NOT say is in conflict with the White House.  Where's the real conflict here? It seems to be the reporters who see a conflict in this. We don't even know if the unknown source on an unknown level is speaking for the White House or just laying out his thinking on the subject. 

[stevenl]

5 hours ago, Trouble said:

Seems to me that we have another story in which no facts are known.  An unnamed source in the White House seems to have more news value that the Secretary of State because it seems to show conflict between the State Department and the Administration. 

 

"A day after Tillerson's comments at Washington's Atlantic Council think tank, the White House official, who declined to be named, laid out a more restrictive formula for any diplomatic engagement with North Korea.

 

"The administration is united in insisting that any negotiations with North Korea must wait until the regime fundamentally improves its behaviour," the official said. "As the secretary of state himself has said, this must include, but is not limited to, no further nuclear or missile tests."

 

"In his speech, however, Tillerson did not explicitly set a testing freeze as a requirement before talks can begin. He said it would be “tough to talk” if Pyongyang decided to test another device in the middle of discussions and that “a period of quiet” would be needed for productive discussions."  

 

Somehow we are led to believe that what Tillerson does NOT say is in conflict with the White House.  Where's the real conflict here? It seems to be the reporters who see a conflict in this. We don't even know if the unknown source on an unknown level is speaking for the White House or just laying out his thinking on the subject. 

How you guys can keep on pretending is beyond me.

[boomerangutang]

Discussion is always better than silence, when rivals have differences.

In contrast, when rednecks (Trumpists) have a problem, they either reach for their hand-held twit machines, or their guns.

[Credo]

1 hour ago, boomerangutang said:

Discussion is always better than silence, when rivals have differences.

In contrast, when rednecks (Trumpists) have a problem, they either reach for their hand-held twit machines, or their guns.

Yes, if Trump and Kim would sit down they would probably find out they have a lot in common.   They have this hair thing, they both eat like a couple of half-starved animals and they are both bullies.   They might just find a common enemy beside each other to attack.   Iran comes to mind.