Pompeo promises North Korea future 'brimming with prosperity' if it denuclearises

[rooster59]

Pompeo promises North Korea future 'brimming with prosperity' if it denuclearises

By Lesley Wroughton and David Brunnstrom

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a joint press availability with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha after their meeting at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea can look forward to "a future brimming with peace and prosperity" if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged on Friday ahead of a historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

 

"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends," Pompeo told a news conference after talks with his South Korean counterpart in Washington.

 

"If Chairman Kim chooses the right path, there is a future brimming with peace and prosperity for the North Korean people," he said, adding that the United States had a track record of support for the Korean people that was "second to none."

 

Pompeo, who returned from Pyongyang this week with three Americans who had been held prisoner by North Korea, said the release of men had helped set conditions for a successful meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore on June 12.

 

However, his comments made clear that the two sides remained far apart on the key issue of what they mean by denuclearization.

 

Pompeo said he had "good, substantive" conversations with Kim in Pyongyang in what was his second meeting with the North Korea leader in less that six weeks, and believed both sides understood the ultimate goal of the summit.

 

"We had good conversations, substantive conversations. Conversations that involved deep complex problems, challenges; the strategic decision that Chairman Kim has before him about how it is he wishes to proceed and if he is prepared, in exchange for the assurances we are ready to provide to him, if he is prepared to fully denuclearise."

 

North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the United States brought exchanges of bellicose rhetoric between Trump and Kim last year that raised fears of a new war on the Korean peninsula.

 

DIFFERENT CONCEPTS

 

In spite of an easing of tensions and a return to dialogue in recent months, North Korea has given no indication that it is willing to go beyond statements of broad support the for concept of denuclearisation and unilaterally abandon a nuclear weapons program its ruling family has seen as crucial to its survival.

 

North Korea's former spy chief Kim Yong Chul, director of the country's United Front Department, boasted in a toast to Pompeo over lunch in Pyongyang on Wednesday that North Korea had "perfected" it nuclear capability.

 

He said its policy was now "to concentrate all efforts into economic progress," but stressed that this had nothing to do with international sanctions imposed on the country.

 

Pompeo said U.S. aim was clear - "to ensure that North Korean doesn’t possess the capacity to threaten, not only the United States but the world, with nuclear weapons."

 

He described his conversations with Kim as "warm" and said both had tried "our best to make sure that we were communicating clearly and had shared understanding about what our mutual objectives were."

 

"We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations," he added."We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with and our hope that we can achieve the same with respect to North Korea."

 

Pompeo said the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula would require a robust verification" program by the United States and other countries.

 

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha stressed that sanctions against Pyongyang would not be lifted until it had taken concrete steps to denuclearise.

 

"We very much hope to see further steps, more concrete steps toward denuclearisation at the U.S.-North Korea summit, so we're not talking about sanctions relief at this point," she said.

 

On Thursday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence praised Kim Jong Un for making moves toward peace, but expressed caution.

 

"What Kim Jong Un has said publicly and in discussions is that he is prepared to negotiate to achieve complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," he said. "Those words are important, but we'll see what they mean."

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-12

[Kiwiken]

Yes you can Trust the USA just ask Libya, Iraq and Iran?

[sammieuk1]

Cash for nukes but its still ok to execute by anti aircraft gun and starve the population its not all over till the fat man sings.

[blazes]

The table has been laid by President Xi, who has offered Rocket Man some coal for his power stations.

The POTUS can offer only a new Disneyland in Pyongyang, the first sign of the green shoots of "prosperity" and universal happiness.  But will the citizens of NK have the dosh to go on the rides?

 

 

[klauskunkel]

Everyone knows who is going to "brim"

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

North Korea can look forward to "a future brimming with peace and prosperity" if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons

An often repeated promise by previous US administrations.

Now if Kim himself was promised by way of a treaty a personal "future brimming with peace and prosperity," he might be interested.

Let's go all the way. Offer Kim the co-presidency with Moon over a unified Korea.

[billd766]

quote from the OP  " North Korea can look forward to "a future brimming with peace and prosperity" if it agrees to quickly give up its nuclear weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged on Friday ahead of a historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un."

 

Yeah, right. And every person will have an Iphone, an Ipad and a caddilac in their 4 car garage.

 

5 hours ago, Kiwiken said:

Yes you can Trust the USA just ask Libya, Iraq and Iran?

 

[sawadee1947]

Who would trust those monkey predictions out of such a filthy mouth? Pompeo and Trump's credibility is gone. Any treaty is just for nothing and worthless.

[Stargeezr]

For those unlucky enough to visit the Nuke zone in North Korea, be sure

to wear your radiation proof undies. I think the place is near

collapse and is the real reason for NK to be shutting down the site.

Geezer

[Kiwiken]

The truth about conditions in North Korea are really unknown. We either get exaggerated skewed Western views of oppression and starvation in the North. Or Pyongyangs vision of a Workers Paradise. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

Does every North Korean have access and ability to buy what is available to Western Citizens probably not. But the truth is in all Our Countries there is poverty too. Some relative some absolute.

The USA now wants to renegotiate trade Deals on Pharmaceuticals to many of Our Countries and as most kiwis earn about 1/3 of Australians and pay slightly more for things anyway. I fear My people will suffer badly.