Trump says 'talking not the answer' on North Korea, Mattis disagrees

[webfact]

Trump says 'talking not the answer' on North Korea, Mattis disagrees

By Idrees Ali and Soyoung Kim

 

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that the United States was not out of diplomatic solutions with North Korea, just hours after President Donald Trump tweeted that "talking is not the answer."

 

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared "talking is not the answer" to the tense standoff with North Korea over its nuclear missile development, but his defence chief swiftly asserted that diplomatic options remain, and Russia demanded U.S. restraint.

 

Trump's comment, a day after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan that drew U.N. and other international condemnation, renewed his tough rhetoric toward reclusive, nuclear-armed and increasingly isolated North Korea.

 

"The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years," Trump, who just last week said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "starting to respect" the United States, wrote on Twitter.

 

"Talking is not the answer!"

 

When asked by reporters just hours later if the United States was out of diplomatic solutions with North Korea amid rising tensions after a series of missile tests by Pyongyang, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis replied: "No."

 

"We are never out of diplomatic solutions," Mattis said before a meeting with his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon. "We continue to work together, and the minister and I share a responsibility to provide for the protection of our nations, our populations and our interests."

 

Top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats will hold classified briefings for members of the U.S. Congress on Sept. 6, congressional aides said.

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by telephone with Tillerson and urged the United States to refrain from any military action on the Korean peninsula that would be "fraught with unpredictable consequences," Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

 

Trump, who has vowed not to let North Korea develop nuclear missiles that can hit the mainland United States, had said on Tuesday "all options are on the table," a veiled reference to military force.

 

Lavrov also said Russia, which wields veto power on the U.N. Security Council, believed any further sanctions on North Korea would be counter-productive, the ministry added.

 

Japan urged fresh sanctions. In Geneva, U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood said discussions were under way among world powers on what kind of further sanctions could imposed.

 

North Korea said the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Tuesday was to counter U.S. and South Korean military drills and was a first step in military action in the Pacific on "containing" the U.S. island territory of Guam.

 

The 15-member U.N. Security Council on Tuesday condemned the firing of the missile over Japan as "outrageous," and demanded that North Korea halt its weapons program but the U.S.-drafted statement did not threaten new sanctions.

 

Trump's mention of payments to North Korea appeared to be a reference to previous U.S. aid to Pyongyang.

A U.S. Congressional Research Service report said that between 1995 and 2008, the United States provided North Korea with more than $1.3 billion in assistance, mostly for food and energy. The aid was part of a nuclear deal that North Korea later violated.

 

The latest tweet by the Republican U.S. president drew criticism from some quarters in Washington. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy wrote on Twitter: "Bar is high, but this is perhaps the most dangerous, irresponsible tweet of his entire Presidency. Millions of lives at stake – not a game."

 

Mattis and Tillerson have emphasized finding a diplomatic solution on North Korea, and have used softer tones than Trump on this and other matters.

 

For example, days after Trump vowed on Aug. 8 to unleash "fire and fury" against North Korea if it threatened the United States, the two wrote a Wall Street Journal commentary assuring Pyongyang that "The U.S. has no interest in regime change or accelerated reunification of Korea."

 

North Korea had threatened to fire four missiles into the sea near Guam, home to a major U.S. military presence, after Trump's "fire and fury" remark.

 

'KEY MILESTONE'

 

The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency and the crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones conducted a "complex missile defence flight test" off Hawaii early on Wednesday, resulting in the intercept of a medium-range ballistic missile target, the agency said.

 

The agency's director, Lieutenant General Sam Greaves, called the test "a key milestone" in giving U.S. Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships an enhanced capability, but did not mention North Korea.

 

The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. North Korea routinely says it will never give up its weapons programs, calling them necessary to counter perceived American hostility.

 

North Korea has conducted numerous ballistic missile tests in defiance of U.N. sanctions, but firing a projectile over mainland Japan was a rare and provocative move.

 

Japan pushed the United States on Wednesday to propose new U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea, which diplomats said could target the country's labourers working abroad, oil supply and textile exports.

 

Diplomats expected resistance from Russia and fellow veto-wielding power China, particularly given new measures were only recently imposed after Pyongyang staged two long-range missile launches in July.

 

Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke by telephone and confirmed their "continuing, close cooperation" regarding Pyongyang's latest launch, the White House said.

 

Speaking during a visit to the Japanese city of Osaka, British Prime Minister Theresa May called on China, North Korea's main ally and trading partner, to put more pressure on North Korea, echoing Trump's view.

 

Asked about her comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that some "relevant sides," when it comes to sanctions, "storm to the front, but when it comes to pushing for peace they hide at the very back."

 

For an interactive graphic on North Korea's missile capabilities click -http://tmsnrt.rs/2t6WEPL

 

 

(Additional reporting by Jack Kim in Seoul, Philip Wen and Michael Martina in Beijing, Susan Heavey, Yeganeh Torbati, Tim Ahmann, David Alexander and Patricia Zengerle in Washington, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru and William James in Osaka, Japan; Writing by Will Dunham and Lisa Lambert; Editing by Alistair Bell and James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-31

[mamypoko]

Mad Dog - the voice of reason

[tonray]

I believe we may be in the midst of a bloodless military coup. It will be interesting to see what happens of Trump orders a unilateral bombing of NK and attempts to start a war. Will Mattis, Kelly, and McMaster defy his order ?

 

 

I'm thinking the unthinkable  here....

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, tonray said:

I believe we may be in the midst of a bloodless military coup. It will be interesting to see what happens of Trump orders a unilateral bombing of NK and attempts to start a war. Will Mattis, Kelly, and McMaster defy his order ?

 

 

I'm thinking the unthinkable  here....

Trump may try, but luckily, cooler heads are around him. If he did try this, it might start the impeachment process.  Hmmmm.....

[tonray]

3 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Trump may try, but luckily, cooler heads are around him. If he did try this, it might start the impeachment process.  Hmmmm.....

I think they might defy the order and resign in protest...he would eventually find some lackey to do it though.

[boomerangutang]

                      Trump to first wife Ivanna, when toddlers Eric, Donnie and Ivanka acted up:  "Don't talk to them, honey. Just smack 'em down to the floor when they're naughty.  That will teach them."

[Rimmer]

A couple of troll posts have been removed also replies

[wanderluster]

something has to be done about NK, wheather now when their is still a chance or later when then they can nuke the whole world. should have been done 50 yrs ago.

[Emster23]

I guess "All options are on the table" except talking with N Korea rather than at them

[retarius]

How strange this all is! Trump's election campaign was full of promises to stop getting involved in wars, yet it turns out that his mind has been altered by power...and he's turned into a warmonger. How strange that a general with the name of Mad Dog is the voice of peace in the administration.

[retarius]

1 hour ago, wanderluster said:

something has to be done about NK, wheather now when their is still a chance or later when then they can nuke the whole world. should have been done 50 yrs ago.

Total nonsense.

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

Total nonsense.

Actually, if this was dealt with 50 years ago we might not be where we are today. Sadly, China blocked actions back then also.

 

No easy answers here. Due to the threats of an insane dictator.

[ilostmypassword]

3 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Actually, if this was dealt with 50 years ago we might not be where we are today. Sadly, China blocked actions back then also.

 

No easy answers here. Due to the threats of an insane dictator.

As has been pointed out before, virtually all the experts on North Korea disagree with your characterization of Kim Jong Un. They point out that like his grandfather and father, everything he does is designed to keep his and his family's hold on power. Having a profligate liar like Donald Trump as an opponent only makes it easier for him.

[lannarebirth]

4 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Trump may try, but luckily, cooler heads are around him. If he did try this, it might start the impeachment process.  Hmmmm.....

 

Looks like the typical good cop, bad cop dynamic but with the roles reversed.

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed as well as a reply. 

[TKDfella]

Fortunately both leaders know what the consequences will be if either should strike first which holds them both hovering on the apparent brink. The 'behaviour ball' of mathematical catastrophe theory is sitting in the shallow cusp...slightest push and...

[craigt3365]

2 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

As has been pointed out before, virtually all the experts on North Korea disagree with your characterization of Kim Jong Un. They point out that like his grandfather and father, everything he does is designed to keep his and his family's hold on power. Having a profligate liar like Donald Trump as an opponent only makes it easier for him.

If you shoot someone with an anti aircraft gun for falling asleep in a meeting,  you are insane. If you allow your citizens to starve so you can develop nuclear weapons so you can continue to be a brutal dictator. You are mentally unstable.

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

If you shoot someone with an anti aircraft gun for falling asleep in a meeting,  you are insane. If you allow your citizens to starve so you can develop nuclear weapons so you can continue to be a brutal dictator. You are mentally unstable.

Since similar conduct was practiced by his father and grandfather, I guess they were insane too. And yet they endured and died of old age. Which means that they had a firm grasp of what it took to hold on to power.  And they certainly weren't suicidal. And there's no evidence to suggest that Kim Jong Un the bon vivant is either. And, as I've pointed out earlier, genuine experts - i suspect given your past performance that you don't know what "expert" means - on North Korea don't think that Kim Jong Un is insane. It may be an ugly twisted world he lives in, but he knows what it takes to survive  in it.

[rijb]

Anyone that eats as much as Kim and doesn't poo or pee must be explosive.    

 

The Chinese believe he's trying to look, walk and act like his grandfather.  However, he's a lot more insecure and backing him into a corner would be a mistake.

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, retarius said:

How strange this all is! Trump's election campaign was full of promises to stop getting involved in wars, yet it turns out that his mind has been altered by power...and he's turned into a warmonger. How strange that a general with the name of Mad Dog is the voice of peace in the administration.

 

Please remind me of one single election campaign he has followed up with? Besides appointing a record number of very conservative lower court judges, to lifetime positions. Just one other one? The wall? Never going to happen. $40,000,000,000 and up is a realistic budget. The ban on immigrants. Not going to happen. Every court in the land has blocked it. Extreme vetting has already been in place, for ten years, Mr. ill informed. Bringing back manufacturing to the US. Sure a small amount of that is happening, but it was happening already, with wages on the rise in China. Why don't you start, by setting the example, and making some of your own products, and those of your daughter in the US. Currently you do not make a single one in the US. You just like lecturing others, but the same does not apply to you or your bereft family, apparently. As of now, those jobs you promised are coming in at a little trickle. The US economy remains relatively stagnant. Consumer confidence remains low. You are simply creating too much uncertainty with your lack of policy. You are a terrible president, and you are not a leader of men. 

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, ilostmypassword said:

Since similar conduct was practiced by his father and grandfather, I guess they were insane too. And yet they endured and died of old age. Which means that they had a firm grasp of what it took to hold on to power.  And they certainly weren't suicidal. And there's no evidence to suggest that Kim Jong Un the bon vivant is either. And, as I've pointed out earlier, genuine experts - i suspect given your past performance that you don't know what "expert" means - on North Korea don't think that Kim Jong Un is insane. It may be an ugly twisted world he lives in, but he knows what it takes to survive  in it.

His father and grandfather were also brutal dictators who abused the citizens they were responsible for. You are nitpicking as usual.

 

Many mentally unstable people live to an old age. And survive no matter who else they kill in the process.

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

His father and grandfather were also brutal dictators who abused the citizens they were responsible for. You are nitpicking as usual.

 

Many mentally unstable people live to an old age. And survive no matter who else they kill in the process.

If they manage to survive that long, then clearly they are not unstable. You might say that it's the difference between Stalin and Hitler. Both unspeakably evil, but just one unstable.And once again, the experts are against you. The people who spend their lives studying north korea disagree with you.

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, ilostmypassword said:

If they manage to survive that long, then clearly they are not unstable. You might say that it's the difference between Stalin and Hitler. Both unspeakably evil, but just one unstable.And once again, the experts are against you. The people who spend their lives studying north korea disagree with you.

I've read those articles. Still, you are mentally abnormal if you do the things he does. Trying to survive? Absolutely. Doesn't mean he's mentally stable. Far from it. NO denying that.

[sweatalot]

3 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

If you shoot someone with an anti aircraft gun for falling asleep in a meeting,  you are insane. If you allow your citizens to starve so you can develop nuclear weapons so you can continue to be a brutal dictator. You are mentally unstable.

not mentally unstable. You are utmost evil

[boomerangutang]

                                  I somewhat agree 'there are cooler heads around Trump.'  But that's akin to saying a group of lit candles are cooler than a bonfire.  If he wanted cool heads with knowledge, experience, wisdom and maturity, he would have kept the people Obama had, including Kerry.

 

                   Just by accepting a position under Trump, a person is becoming an enabler to a dangerous dufus.  That hire has to swear allegiance to Trump.  Allegiance to the American people or abiding by the Constitution are secondary.   

 

[Sig]

3 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Since similar conduct was practiced by his father and grandfather, I guess they were insane too. And yet they endured and died of old age. Which means that they had a firm grasp of what it took to hold on to power.  And they certainly weren't suicidal. And there's no evidence to suggest that Kim Jong Un the bon vivant is either. And, as I've pointed out earlier, genuine experts - i suspect given your past performance that you don't know what "expert" means - on North Korea don't think that Kim Jong Un is insane. It may be an ugly twisted world he lives in, but he knows what it takes to survive  in it.

It's almost funny reading the ridiculous debates about Un being "insane". Arguing that he is not insane, with a clinical definition, when nobody clearly proposed such a definition but used the term in normal conversational parlance is insane. hahaha
It may help you understand what people mean if you look up the term insane in a thesaurus. It is a completely appropriate word to use to describe Un. The guy is off his rocker, crazy, a nutcase, psycho, bizarre, irresponsible, etc.... Perhaps you think he's normal... ok....

[ilostmypassword]

19 minutes ago, Sig said:

It's almost funny reading the ridiculous debates about Un being "insane". Arguing that he is not insane, with a clinical definition, when nobody clearly proposed such a definition but used the term in normal conversational parlance is insane. hahaha
It may help you understand what people mean if you look up the term insane in a thesaurus. It is a completely appropriate word to use to describe Un. The guy is off his rocker, crazy, a nutcase, psycho, bizarre, irresponsible, etc.... Perhaps you think he's normal... ok....

Well, insane with reference to whether or not he's reckless and liable to blow up the world. Why would it be relevant to discuss in this context his mental health if it wasn't about whether is like a bomb ready to go off at any minute. Who cares about his mental health otherwise? Is it that you have a sincere concern for his well-being?

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, Sig said:

It's almost funny reading the ridiculous debates about Un being "insane". Arguing that he is not insane, with a clinical definition, when nobody clearly proposed such a definition but used the term in normal conversational parlance is insane. hahaha
It may help you understand what people mean if you look up the term insane in a thesaurus. It is a completely appropriate word to use to describe Un. The guy is off his rocker, crazy, a nutcase, psycho, bizarre, irresponsible, etc.... Perhaps you think he's normal... ok....

But, but, but....he's just trying to survive and all the experts say he's not crazy.

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

But, but, but....he's just trying to survive and all the experts say he's not crazy.

Basically, I've got the experts and you've got an emoji.  You have a lot of faith in images but not so much in reason.

[craigt3365]

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/12/are-all-murderers-mentally-ill/67295/

"You see, I truly believe that murderers are mentally ill," she explains. "Their brains don't work like the rest of ours do. To deliberately kill someone requires crossing a profound boundary. Most of us couldn't do it. We couldn't even think about it. But they can. They do. Why? Because they're mentally ill."