White House adviser Bolton urges North Korea to act on denuclearisation

[webfact]

White House adviser Bolton urges North Korea to act on denuclearisation

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton attends a news conference in Moscow, Russia June 27, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday said North Korea has not taken the necessary steps to denuclearize despite an agreement between Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in June.

 

Bolton, in an interview on Fox News, said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was prepared to return to North Korea for another meeting with Kim.

 

"What we really need is not more rhetoric," Bolton said. "What we need is performance from North Korea on denuclearisation."

 

Kim and Trump promised to work to end North Korea's weapons programs at their summit in Singapore, but the two countries have been struggling to reach a detailed accord to meet that goal.

 

Pyongyang's state media has highlighted it has made goodwill gestures, such as a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests, the dismantling of a nuclear site, and the return of the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.

 

It has urged Washington to take reciprocal steps including officially declaring an end to the war and dropping sanctions.

 

Satellite images from last Friday indicate North Korea has carried out additional activities to dismantle a key missile launch facility, the Washington-based 38 North think-tank said on Tuesday.

 

Photos from last Friday showed recent work at the Sohae station to tear down an engine test stand and remove fuel and oxidizer tanks from bunkers, though the possibility can't be ruled out that the North might be trying to modify the stand for other purposes.

 

Bolton said the United States has lived up to the Singapore declaration that followed the June 12 summit.

 

"It's just North Korea that has not taken the steps we feel are necessary to denuclearize," Bolton said.

 

He said the relaxation of any sanctions was not under consideration.

 

Asked about the possibility of additional meetings, Bolton said Trump in a recent letter to Kim proposed sending Pompeo back to North Korea, and that Trump was ready to meet with Kim any time. The letter was handed to North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho during the weekend.

 

North Korea's nuclear weapons programme has caused international tension for decades and the rhetoric and threats from Kim and Trump had been especially hostile before their June meeting.

 

(Reporting by Susan Heavey in WASHINGTON; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin in SEOUL; Editing by Lisa Lambert, Bill Trott and Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-08

[DM07]

What do you mean, he "urges" them?

I am sure there are signed treaties and contracts, between Donald "Your favorite President" Trump and Kim, where Northkorea is clearly bound to take....

...wait...you mean...WHAT?!

?

[mtls2005]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"What we need is performance from North Korea on denuclearisation."

 

 

I guess it would be nice to know what was agreed upon in Singapore, and what the details are, then we can measure "performance".

 

Other than not testing nukes, which they already know work, or lobbing missiles, which they also know work, what exactly is "different"?

 

 

[spidermike007]

Bolton's boy little donny came back from the summit empty handed. He should have been urging the tangerine tornado to read a briefing paper before the meeting. Or to negotiate something. Anything. All he did was concede the military exercises without anything in return. I hereby urge "ballistic Bolton" to go into exile. To move to a far away land. To voluntarily quit, and give up trying to be the very important man he wants to be, and to give the planet a break from his nonsense, his bellicose rhetoric, his extremist philosophies, and his ultra hawkish views. Leave Bolton leave. Exit stage right. Give us all a break. Save the world while you still can. Do not start a war, please. Go home John. You are not liked. You are not wanted. You are not useful.

 

And Trump? He could not negotiate his way out of a paper bag, to save his life. 

[johnnybangkok]

4 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

I guess it would be nice to know what was agreed upon in Singapore, and what the details are, then we can measure "performance".

 

Other than not testing nukes, which they already know work, or lobbing missiles, which they also know work, what exactly is "different"?

 

 

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. 

Trump got some much needed positive PR on the back of a 'no-deal' deal and now they are surprised when NK does exactly what they have being doing with Western powers for decades - agree something, deny that they agreed that, reverse what the other thought they agreed (although they didn't agree that anyway) and then do exactly the opposite.

The man is a fool. But unfortunately he is a dangerous one.

[alanrchase]

Perhaps the North Vietnamese are looking at what has happened to Iran after making a deal with the US?

[alanrchase]

Whoops, should have typed North Koreans.

[BoganInParasite]

China, through North Korean actions and inactions is going to extract undue and disproportionate concessions from the USA and I suspect in the end leave them jilted at the alter. Trump will be humiliated here but of course he will spin it in some other way.

[Srikcir]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

John Bolton on Tuesday said North Korea has not taken the necessary steps to denuclearize despite an agreement between Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump

To be fair, what specific steps did Kim and Trump agree to follow?

The answer of course was NONE - a TBD.

When were those steps to be done?

UNSPECIFIED

Recently Trump said he didn't care when those "steps" should occur, that he had no specific timetable for 'denuclearization.'

Meanwhile Bolton says the steps aren't occurring. More mixed messages from the White House. Unfortunately for America and the World at large, it's what Trump says as of the latest moment that counts. Not what Pompeo or Bolton demand.

Pompeo is trying to accelerate a detailed denuclearization agreement with Kim to make up for wasted time and summit meeting. But even the definition of "denuclearization' remains agreed.

Pompeo needs to negotiate the most fundamental basics for an agreement like an agreed table of definitions, names of all nuclear civilian personnel, and nuclear related inventory . But Trump likely wants a full agreement before the November elections (if not by year-end as a symbolic gift by Trump to America) and there's just little or no time for the basics. 

[AsiaHand]

8 hours ago, DM07 said:

What do you mean, he "urges" them?

I am sure there are signed treaties and contracts, between Donald "Your favorite President" Trump and Kim, where Northkorea is clearly bound to take....

...wait...you mean...WHAT?!

?

The only thing Little Kim agreed to was the dismantling of the nuclear test area which he no longer needs as all the testing (6 each) was completed and he now has the results so as to make his own atomic weapons. This is all hot wind coming out of The House of "Not Black and White"..Or should we say The House of Daily  White Lies ? 

Edited August 8, 2018 by AsiaHand

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Bolton's boy little donny came back from the summit empty handed. He should have been urging the tangerine tornado to read a briefing paper before the meeting. Or to negotiate something. Anything. All he did was concede the military exercises without anything in return. I hereby urge "ballistic Bolton" to go into exile. To move to a far away land. To voluntarily quit, and give up trying to be the very important man he wants to be, and to give the planet a break from his nonsense, his bellicose rhetoric, his extremist philosophies, and his ultra hawkish views. Leave Bolton leave. Exit stage right. Give us all a break. Save the world while you still can. Do not start a war, please. Go home John. You are not liked. You are not wanted. You are not useful.

 

 

Please recall, Bolton had his public shot at this before the summit, where he made the North Korea - Libya-Gaddafi comparison that made the North Koreans even more bonkers....

 

These are the kinds of people the Traitor in Chief surrounds himself with. But right now, they're probably both too  busy trying to start a pointless war with Iran....

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

But even the definition of "denuclearization' remains agreed. 

I meant "unagreed."

[Tug]

Well mr Bolton you have a mission impossible you have an empty hand to play(short of war)it’s trumps only trump card thanks Donald ya fiasco