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[webfact]

Trump says U.S. in 'extremely high' level talks with North Korea on summit

By Steve Holland

 

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida U.S. April 17, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States is engaged in direct talks at "extremely high levels" with North Korea to try to set up a summit between him and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

 

Trump made the comment as he and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened two days of talks at the president's Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, meetings that are to include a round of golf.

 

Trump said he believed there was a lot of good will in the diplomatic push, but also said it is possible the summit - first proposed in March and which the president said could take place in late May or early June - may not happen.

 

Efforts to arrange an unprecedented meeting between U.S. and North Korean leaders have helped ease tensions over Pyongyang's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States. Kim has agreed to discuss denuclearization, according to U.S. and South Korean officials.

 

"We have had direct talks at very high levels – extremely high levels - with North Korea. I really believe there’s a lot of good will; a lot of good things are happening. We’ll see what happens. As I always say, we’ll see what happens, because ultimately it’s the end result that matters, not the fact that we’re thinking about having a meeting or having a meeting," Trump said.

 

Trump did not identify who on the U.S. side was talking to the North Koreans and senior U.S. officials would not comment.

 

Contacts between the two side in recent weeks have involved U.S. intelligence and State Department officials, a U.S. official told Reuters this month. The most senior U.S. official known to have visited Pyongyang in recent years was then-U.S. intelligence chief James Clapper in 2014.

 

Trump, who has exchanged bellicose threats with Kim in the past year, said U.S. officials are looking at five different locations for a meeting with Kim. Asked if any of those were in the United States, Trump said "no".

 

A U.S. official said sites in southeast Asia and in Europe were among those under discussion. Kim has rarely left North Korea.

 

Speculation has centred on a range of sites including Pyongyang, the demilitarized zone between the Koreas, Stockholm, Geneva and Mongolia.

 

Talks between Trump and Abe are largely focused on the prospective summit with Kim as Japan seeks a U.S. commitment that any denuclearization deal the president seals with Kim will include not just long-range missiles but those that could be aimed at Japan.

 

"For the North Korean issue, I’d like to underscore the importance of achieving the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization, as well as the abandonment of missile programs of North Korea," Abe told Trump.

 

Abe also obtained an agreement from Trump to bring up the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, a highly emotive issue for the Japanese.

 

'IT'S POSSIBLE THINGS WON'T GO WELL'

Trump stressed that the two sides in this week's talks are unified.

 

"Japan and ourselves are locked, and we are very unified on the subject of North Korea," he said.

 

Trump said it was possible that diplomatic efforts to arrange a Kim summit will fall short and if it does not happen, the United States and its allies will maintain pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions.

 

"It’s possible things won’t go well and we won’t have the meetings and we’ll just continue to go on this very strong path we have taken," he said.

 

Trump also backed efforts between South Korea and the North aimed to end a state of war that has existed between the two countries since 1953.

 

"They do have my blessing to discuss the end of the war. People don’t realise the Korean War has not ended. It’s going on right now. And they are discussing an end to the war. Subject to a deal they have my blessing and they do have my blessing to discuss that," he said.

 

Both leaders could use a successful summit to give themselves a political boost at home. Trump has been hounded by controversies linked to an investigation into Russian meddling into the 2016 election, and Abe is struggling with declining popularity because of scandals over suspected cronyism.

 

Trump has forged close ties with Abe during his 15 months in power and the two have bonded over rounds of golf during Abe's last visit to Florida more than a year ago and Trump's visit to Tokyo last November.

 

TRADE AGENDA

Japan fears Trump will try to link vital security matters with touchy trade topics. Tokyo is eager to avoid being pushed into talks on a two-way free trade agreement aimed not only at market access but at currency policies, something South Korea recently accepted when it renegotiated a trade deal with the United States.

 

Another irritant on trade is that Japan has not been given an exemption to tariffs on steel and aluminium exports to the United States, unlike the European Union, Canada and Mexico.

 

While Trump has said he prefers bilateral trade deals over multilateral ones because America can win a better deal with just one country, he recently instructed United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow to reopen talks for the United States to enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

 

Trump killed that pact when he took office last year, but said recently he was open to rejoining on better terms. The 11 other countries in the TPP talks pressed ahead after Washington dropped out.

 

Kudlow appeared to indicate there was little prospect of immediate progress on rejoining. The United States was involved in eight years of formal negotiations on the TPP before it withdrew.

 

(Additional reporting by Linda Sieg, Kaori Kaneko and Stanley White in Tokyo; Editing by Mary Milliken and James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-18

[Stargeezr]

Has anyone ever wondered just how NK got its materials to build the rockets, to launch,?    Hmmmm  Russia? China? or both.  It obviously did not get its stuff from the USA or other western countries.  Just wondering...

Geezer

[klauskunkel]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

a lot of good things are happening. We’ll see what happens. As I always say, we’ll see what happens, because ultimately it’s the end result that matters, not the fact that we’re thinking about having a meeting or having a meeting," Trump said.

or having a meeting happening, or happen to have a meeting without anything happening. It happens, you know... In fact, I'm happy to have a meeting whether it happens or not.

[boomerangutang]

For starters, a US prez meeting with Kim is a gift to Kim.  It's something he, his dad, and grandpa have wanted all along.  So, the US should do a lot of groundwork beforehand, not least: Trump learning about the topic.  Since Trump doesn't read, and usually doesn't take advice (he couldn't keep himself for tweeting like a maniac recently, even though all his handlers told him not to).

 

Frankly, I couldn't think of anyone worse than Trump - to negotiate with Kim.  The girl making sandwiches at Subway would probably do a better job.   Trump is to negotiating what a fish is to the 110 meter high hurdles.  Two times the Mexican prez was on his way to visit Trump, and both times, Nieto had his plane turned around, because Trump said ridiculous things during phone calls while the plane was in the air.  Trump can't even get along with the Pope.  What world leader offends the Pope?

 

Even in the OP, Trump is quoted as saying the meeting probably won't happen.  It's like with his taxes:  He said 'I would love to release my taxes, believe me.'  It will never happen.  ...or: "I would love to meet with Mueller, believe me."  Won't happen.  

 

Additionally, everyone working in the US State Dept, from the top down, knows Trump is the loosest of cannons.  When then-Sec.Tillerson made a benign statement on N.Korea, Trump shot it down hours later.  The US has no ambassador for S.Korea.  Everyone at State knows their words (to N.Korean negotiators) mean nothing, because in seconds, Trump can poop on anything they say.   Trump himself is as reliable as tofu brakes on a fully-laden semi-.   If Kim meets with Trump, it will only be for 'face-time' and to try to legitimize himself.   If Trump meets with Kim it will be to divert from the many legal cases haunting him.

 

 

 

[boomerangutang]

1 hour ago, car720 said:

Seen this before. Kim is stalling.

Kim would meet tomorrow, if Trump shows up.  It's the prez who will drag it out for months, and then not do it.  See my post, above.

[lannarebirth]

17 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

 

Frankly, I couldn't think of anyone worse than Trump - to negotiate with Kim.  The girl making sandwiches at Subway would probably do a better job.   Trump is to negotiating what a fish is to the 110 meter high hurdles. 

 

 

But if the 110 meter high hurdles were held underwater then the fish would be the favorite, wouldn't it?

[Srikcir]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Kudlow appeared to indicate there was little prospect of immediate progress on rejoining.

Be honest. That's because Trump wants to renegotiate the whole TPP. 

The current membership of now 11 nations have held 19 formal negotiation rounds and a subsequent series of additional meetings, such as Chief Negotiators Meetings and Ministers Meetings, and resulted in the agreement announced on 5 October 2015. Since then 2 more nations (Indonesia & Sri Lanka) have announced interest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership

Member countries are already in the process of ratifying the deal, which could go into effect early next year.

“Is there a chance in hell anyone wants to reopen the thing to get the U.S. back in? Not under a Trump administration,” says Mike Callaghan, a former Australian Treasury official and economic advisor to the prime minister, now at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/29/united-states-wants-back-in-tpp-good-luck-with-that-trans-pacific-partnership-asia/

The TPP members are not about to trash the TPP because Trump wants a new deal. A lot of "give & take" was done to finalize the agreement. US renegotiation essentially unwinds the whole TPP.

There's nothing Kudlow can do other than be honest with Trump: shut up or join.

Edited April 18, 2018 by Srikcir
correct sentence

[boomerangutang]

5 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Be honest. That's because Trump wants to renegotiate the whole TPP. 

The current membership of now 11 nations have held 19 formal negotiation rounds and a subsequent series of additional meetings, such as Chief Negotiators Meetings and Ministers Meetings, and resulted in the agreement announced on 5 October 2015. Since then 2 more nations (Indonesia & Sri Lanka) have announced interest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership

Member countries are already in the process of ratifying the deal, which could go into effect early next year.

“Is there a chance in hell anyone wants to reopen the thing to get the U.S. back in? Not under a Trump administration,” says Mike Callaghan, a former Australian Treasury official and economic advisor to the prime minister, now at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/29/united-states-wants-back-in-tpp-good-luck-with-that-trans-pacific-partnership-asia/

The TPP members are not about to trash the TPP because Trump wants a new deal. A lot of "give & take" was done to finalize the agreement. US renegotiation essentially unwinds the whole TPP.

There's nothing Kudlow can do other than be honest with Trump: shut up or join.

Interesting that you bring up the TPP.  Trump pulling the US out of it does two major things:

 

A.  It puts China in the driver's seat - for trade with Pacific rim countries

B.  It disadvantages Americans, making things cost more, and lessens opportunities for American companies to export.

 

Pulling out of TPP (as with NAFTA) also pulls the US further away from negotiating safety & environmental controls on products and services.  It's lose-lose for the US. 

[Credo]

I am not a fan of Trump or his administration of general, but there is most likely no reasonable solution to the situation with NK.   Talks tend to keep a lid on a volatile situation.   We can argue about a lot of aspects, but keeping a lid on things, if that's the best that can be done, should be done.

 

On this one, I'll give it to Trump.   An "A" for effort.   

[lannarebirth]

1 hour ago, Credo said:

I am not a fan of Trump or his administration of general, but there is most likely no reasonable solution to the situation with NK.   Talks tend to keep a lid on a volatile situation.   We can argue about a lot of aspects, but keeping a lid on things, if that's the best that can be done, should be done.

 

On this one, I'll give it to Trump.   An "A" for effort.   

 

 

I agree on all counts. This can has been kicked down the road about as far as it can be.

[Jingthing]

Yeah, it does now look like they're headed for a meeting.

In theory, talking is a good idea.

But will "trump" be prepared and will he have a clear, realistic message?

His recent total schizophrenia regarding Russia sanctions (and many before) is evidence that he lacks the serious focus to handle this well. 

He does realize that his definition of demilitarization is completely different than Kims, right?

All people of good will including "trump" opponents will wish him success in this effort.

But oddly, he might be great for getting this meeting to happen, but he seems the opposite of great to actually pulling it off successfully.

 

[lionsincity]

the historians will have a field day writing about this erratic president

[Credo]

3 hours ago, lannarebirth said:

I agree on all counts. This can has been kicked down the road about as far as it can be.

 

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah, it does now look like they're headed for a meeting.

In theory, talking is a good idea.

But will "trump" be prepared and will he have a clear, realistic message?

His recent total schizophrenia regarding Russia sanctions (and many before) is evidence that he lacks the serious focus to handle this well. 

He does realize that his definition of demilitarization is completely different than Kims, right?

All people of good will including "trump" opponents will wish him success in this effort.

But oddly, he might be great for getting this meeting to happen, but he seems the opposite of great to actually pulling it off successfully.

 

I think in the end it will be a matter of kicking the can further down the road, but for now that is a realistic expectation.   As long as the Kim Dynasty is in control, we need to keep our expectations realistic.   

 

If we can settle the situation down, the world will be a little safer for the time being.   

 

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah, it does now look like they're headed for a meeting.

Don't put the mule before the cart.

Trump: "It's possible things won't go well, and we won't have the meetings and we'll just continue to go along this very strong path that we've taken. But we'll see."

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/18/politics/pompeo-kim-trump-north-korea-intl/index.html

This is why summit meetings between "opposition" Heads of State are merely formal photo ops with the signing of an agreement/treaty/etc. Summit meetings are the endpoint to pre-summit diplomatic exchanges wherein a consensus has been reached to assure there are no unresolved issues at the summit meeting. There is no "things won't go well."

 

Meeting of the US and North Korea Heads of State has been a demand by Kim. Trump  immediately agreed with no concession by Kim. A summit meeting isn't necessary from the US perspective! Case in point is the Iran and G5+1summit meeting presenting the nuclear deal. US and Iran Heads of State never met. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33521655

[Expatthailover]

Nice

Tillerson was still in the seat when Pompeo was asked to commence talks

And we wonder why there is such a high turnover of senior WH staff

I have seen more loyalty from a bunch of penniless mercenaries.

DT ..setting new standards in man management

[boomerangutang]

6 hours ago, Credo said:

I am not a fan of Trump or his administration of general, but there is most likely no reasonable solution to the situation with NK.   Talks tend to keep a lid on a volatile situation.   We can argue about a lot of aspects, but keeping a lid on things, if that's the best that can be done, should be done. On this one, I'll give it to Trump.   An "A" for effort.   

I agree with all but your closing sentence.  Trump is a reactionary, who also throws sucker punches.  It sounds like a contradiction, but not really.  What Trump lacks is the middle stuff; knowledge, wisdom, patience, and an even-keeled temperment.  

 

People like Kerry or Albright, for example, are suited for diplomacy.  Albright was the last US government official go to N.Korea and hold discussions with their side.  Trump should seek counsel from people experienced in such matters.  Instead, Trump does the opposite, and surrounds himself with die-hard fans who have zero experience with diplomacy.  An "E" for effort.

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Trump: "It's possible things won't go well, and we won't have the meetings and we'll just continue to go along this very strong path that we've taken. But we'll see."

Now Trump has further caveated the meeting:

“If we don’t think it’s going to be successful, Mark, we won’t have it. If I think that it’s a meeting that’s not going to be fruitful. I won’t go. If the meeting when I’m there is not fruitful, I will respectfully leave,”

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/383852-trump-if-north-korea-meeting-isnt-going-well-ill-leave

If Trump has all these concerns about the fruitfulness of the summit meeting, should he not delay it until he (and the American and South Korean people) is assured the meeting will be fruitful?

[mikebike]

4 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Now Trump has further caveated the meeting:

“If we don’t think it’s going to be successful, Mark, we won’t have it. If I think that it’s a meeting that’s not going to be fruitful. I won’t go. If the meeting when I’m there is not fruitful, I will respectfully leave,”

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/383852-trump-if-north-korea-meeting-isnt-going-well-ill-leave

If Trump has all these concerns about the fruitfulness of the summit meeting, should he not delay it until he (and the American and South Korean people) is assured the meeting will be fruitful?

It is an administration run on a day-to-day basis, possibly hour-to-hour. There is very little in the way of strategic, long-term planning or foreign-policy goals. I think the acedemic term for the process used in this admin is "blurt & react".

[Jingthing]

It is an administration run on a day-to-day basis, possibly hour-to-hour. There is very little in the way of strategic, long-term planning or foreign-policy goals. I think the acedemic term for the process used in this admin is "blurt & react".

That's true. Look at Syria policy. More like no policy. Being flexible is one thing. Having no long-term policy is another.

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