Politics
19:44, 11-Jun-2018
Pompeo: US objective for DPRK summit unchanged
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01:06
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a briefing on Monday, the "ultimate objective" of a historic summit with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had not changed and the US was "eager to see" if the DPRK was sincere about denuclearization.
Trump-Kim summit will be successful
Pompeo said US President Donald Trump was "fully prepared" for the talks, and was optimistic that the outcome would be "successful," while warning that there was still "lots of work left to do."
Trump is going to hold a summit with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday with their talks expected to center on ending the DPRK's nuclear weapons and missile programs in return for diplomatic and economic incentives.
02:09
Sanctions on DPRK will remain
Pompeo said the Trump-Kim summit provides "an unprecedented opportunity to change the trajectory of our relationship and bring peace and prosperity" to the DPRK.
However, Pompeo played down the possibility of a quick breakthrough and said the summit should set the framework for "the hard work that will follow," insisting that the DPRK had to move toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.
Sanctions on the DPRK would remain in place until that had happened, Pompeo said. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction...those measures will increase."
Pompeo speaks during a news conference in Singapore, June 11, 2018. /VCG Photo
Pompeo speaks during a news conference in Singapore, June 11, 2018. /VCG Photo
DPRK's willingness to denuclearize
"The talks continue this afternoon… They're in fact moving quite rapidly and we anticipate they will come to their logical conclusion even more quickly than we had anticipated," Pompeo said.
Pompeo noted, "North Korea (DPRK) has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearize and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere."
DPRK will get 'unique' security guarantees
The US is willing to offer the DPRK "unique" security guarantees if it embarks on "complete verifiable and irreversible denuclearization," Pompeo said.
Pompeo said that preparatory talks were advancing more quickly than expected.
"We will take actions to provide them sufficient certainty that they can be comfortable that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them," Pompeo said.
China expects DPRK, US to meet each other halfway
02:35
China's Foreign Ministry expressed the hope and support for efforts by the DPRK and the US to meet each other halfway.
The Chinese side reiterated that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula is at a rare historic juncture.
China expects the DPRK and the US to reach an outcome that both sides and the international community want, to open a new era of denuclearization, peace and prosperity.
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(With inputs from agencies.)