Trump should insist on Libya-style denuclearization for North Korea: Bolton

 

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S. February 24, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Bolton, U.S. President Donald Trump's new national security adviser, said Trump should insist that any meeting he holds with North Korea's leader must be focused squarely on how to eliminate that country's nuclear weapons programme as quickly as possible.

 

Bolton, a hawk who Trump named on Thursday to replace H.R. McMaster in the key security role, told Radio Free Asia on Monday that discussions at the proposed summit with Kim Jong Un should be similar to those that led to components of Libya's nuclear programme being shipped to the United States in 2004.

 

"Let's have this conversation by May, or even before that, and let's see how serious North Korea really is," Bolton said, according to a transcript of his remarks posted on the RFA website on Friday.

 

"If they're not prepared to have that kind of serious discussion, it could actually be a very short meeting."

 

Bolton said North Korea had used negotiations in the past to camouflage its weapons development and he was sceptical about its intentions. He said U.S. ally South Korea, which restarted talks with North Korea this year, should be cautious before agreeing to anything with Pyongyang.

 

"We should insist that if this meeting is going to take place, it will be similar to discussions we had with Libya 13 or 14 years ago: how to pack up their nuclear weapons programme and take it to Oak Ridge, Tennessee," he said.

 

Bolton said it was important for Trump to "make the point that he's not there to waste time and that we expect real denuclearization, not talks about talks about denuclearization, but concretely how we're going to eliminate their programme as quickly as possible."

 

Bolton also said the United States should not offer North Korea economic aid, or a peace treaty, adding, "they're lucky to be having a meeting with the President of the United States."

 

Bolton, a hardliner who has advocated regime change and military force against North Korea, said no one wanted to see military action, but it would be a mistake to leave the country with nuclear weapons. He warned of the risk of Pyongyang selling nuclear weapons technology to Islamic State, al Qaeda, or any aspiring nuclear-weapons state.

 

"President Trump has unattractive options ... he doesn't have much time," Bolton said. "Somebody said, you know, we can't kick the can down the road any further because there isn't any road left."

 

South Korean officials met Kim Jong Un this month and told Washington the leader was open to giving up his nuclear weapons if North Korea's security was guaranteed.

 

Trump responded with a surprise announcement that he was willing to meet Kim before the end of May in a bid to resolve the crisis over North Korea's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

 

North Korea argues its weapons programme is needed for defence, a belief analysts say is reinforced by the fate of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after giving up his nuclear programme.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-24

Hmmm... Not really a good comparison to make when you are headed for a negotiating table!  I'm sure that KJU knows what happened to Qaddafi after he agreed to denuclearize.

24 minutes ago, otherstuff1957 said:

Hmmm... Not really a good comparison to make when you are headed for a negotiating table!  I'm sure that KJU knows what happened to Qaddafi after he agreed to denuclearize.

https://nuclear-news.net/category/2-world/middle-east/libya/

1 hour ago, otherstuff1957 said:

Hmmm... Not really a good comparison to make when you are headed for a negotiating table!  I'm sure that KJU knows what happened to Qaddafi after he agreed to denuclearize.

Bolton is all about setting conditions he knows other countries will not accept as a pretext for war.

1 hour ago, otherstuff1957 said:

Hmmm... Not really a good comparison to make when you are headed for a negotiating table!  I'm sure that KJU knows what happened to Qaddafi after he agreed to denuclearize.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure anyone should be mentioning Libya,

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/06/19/flashback_2011_hillary_clinton_laughs_about_killing_moammar_gaddafi_we_came_we_saw_he_died.html

An off topic post and answer to it have been removed.

This topic is about North Korea not Iran, Syria or baseball. Please keep on topic.

Why would NK even agree to sit down with "trump" now? 

It's not logical to think that total denuclearization is ever going to be on the table from the current NK regime.

There are helpful things that could be agreed upon. But pushing for the impossible is setting it up for definite failure.

Edited March 24, 20188 yr by Jingthing

I saw this old dick on the tv a couple of weeks ago and thought thank god he is nowhere near a government.

13 minutes ago, punchjudy said:

I saw this old dick on the tv a couple of weeks ago and thought thank god he is nowhere near a government.

Better stay up to date.

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"If they're not prepared to have that kind of serious discussion, it could actually be a very short meeting."

Trump prefers "killer graphics," like big pictures, videos and charts, ie., for his daily intelligence briefings.  http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-does-not-read-white-house-top-secret-intelligence-briefings-big-617515

Trump doesn't do listening nor deep discussions. Nor does he listen to his closest seniors advisors.

Unless Trump is going into a summit meeting with North Korea only for a photo op, the meeting will be a very short meeting.

Off topic posts about chemical weapons have been removed. 

13 hours ago, baboon said:

Bolton is all about setting conditions he knows other countries will not accept as a pretext for war.

Bolton carries on the tradition of right-wing American draft dodging chicken hawks.

"North Korea argues its weapons programme is needed for defence, a belief analysts say is reinforced by the fate of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after giving up his nuclear programme."

 

Quite.

Simply an unsophisticated political style of "good cop bad Cop" 

Bolton did a heckuva job on Eye-rack, costing the US trillions and creating a vacuum that led directly to ISIS.  

 

8 minutes ago, Khun Han said:

"North Korea argues its weapons programme is needed for defence, a belief analysts say is reinforced by the fate of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after giving up his nuclear programme."

 

Quite.

  Would love to see this end with Don the Con and Bolton hiding up a sewer pipe.

Edited March 24, 20188 yr by ChidlomDweller

3 minutes ago, ChidlomDweller said:

Bolton did a heckuva job on Eye-rack.  Can't wait to see his work on NK.

  Would love to see this end with Don the Con and Bolton hiding up a sewer pipe.

 

So many things about the Trump presidency are completely baffling. He and his team have gotten to an historic point with NK, whereby opportunities to make real progress are available. So, what does he do? He brings in a political dinosaur. I dislike Trump as a person, though I don't buy into the rabid behaviour shown toward him by some of his opponents, as exemplified on discussion forums such as this one. I find his major political opponents far more sinister and disturbing. But I really struggle to make sense of a lot of his policies.

Trump bringing in Bolton is a disaster in the making. Bolton is of the alt right like Banon who sees a Pax Americana Empire.  His comments regarding Libya show just how off base he is.  Does he think Kim is a fool. Everyone knows what happened to Gaddafi.

While the ultimate goal of the Korean Peninsula is denuclearization- a step by step approach is what is needed. How about a peace treaty with N Korea signed by all participants of the Korean War?

 

Mr. Bolton is always willing to go to war- but he is never a participant- he will  send the sons and daughters of Americans to die for nothing ala Vietnam and Iraq.

 

Trump is listening to someone on the alt right and I am wondering if Banon is still not involved somehow in the decision making.

 

9 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Trump bringing in Bolton is a disaster in the making.

And it will get worse.

Bolton is reportedly planning a major staff shake-up at the National Security Council. 

“Those targeted for removal include officials believed to have been disloyal to President Donald Trump, those who have leaked about the president to the media, his predecessor’s team, and those who came in under Obama.” https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/03/24/report-bolton-poised-to-oust-nsc-staffers-disloyal-to-trump/23394472/

 

19 hours ago, punchjudy said:

I saw this old dick on the tv a couple of weeks ago and thought thank god he is nowhere near a government.

Couldn't be a worse choice for National Security Adviser. A nasty, war mongering old man who should be nowhere near any Government 

10 hours ago, sirineou said:

Simply an unsophisticated political style of "good cop bad Cop" 

It isn't going to work when the guy in custody is armed and willing to fight his way out of the police station, or die trying...

Libya,eh?

 

Splendid,splendid..what?

6 hours ago, baboon said:

It isn't going to work when the guy in custody is armed and willing to fight his way out of the police station, or die trying...

Absolutely right,

That's why I said "unsophisticated" ,  This seems to work on TV shows where writers control the outcome,and This reality  TV show president seems to watch too much TV and confuse it for reality.

That's where the "unsophisticated" part comes in. 

Bolton? really? 

Time to impeach!! This moron will drive us into a ditch, and its not his children who will pay.