Trump: No Libya model for DPRK's denuclearization

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01:02

US President Donald Trump attempted to put his summit with Kim Jong Un back on track Thursday, offering the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) guarantees of staying in power if he abandons nuclear weapons.

As prospects for a historic summit next month between the two leaders dimmed, Trump told reporters that if the meeting were to go ahead successfully, Kim "will get protections that will be very strong."

"He'd be in his country and running his country. His country would be very rich," Trump added.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton (R) stands alongside US President Donald Trump as he speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the White House in Washington, DC, May 17, 2018. /VCG Photo

But the pledge came barbed with a warning that if diplomacy fails, Kim could suffer the same fate as Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, who was overthrown and killed by rebels.

Trump's comments came as Pyongyang appeared to cool to the idea of the sit-down in Singapore on June 12, denouncing US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

Libya model

After the months of photo-ops and diplomatic backslapping, a DPRK official was quoted as saying the summit may not go ahead. The official also groused about Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton, who referred to Libya as a model for denuclearization.

In 2003, Kadhafi agreed to the elimination of his country's nuclear program and chemical weapons arsenal to gain sanctions relief.

July 1, 2008: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi attends the closing ceremony of the 11th Summit of the heads of state and government of the African Union in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. /VCG Photo

But Trump, and Pyongyang, appeared to zero in on what happened a decade later during the Libyan revolution, when NATO-backed rebels ousted the government and killed Kadhafi.

"The Libyan model isn't a model that we have (in mind) at all when we're thinking of North Korea," Trump said while sitting at arm's length from Bolton in the Oval Office, with the latter looking on him.

"If you look at that model with Kadhafi, that was a total decimation. We went in there to beat him," Trump said.

"Now, that model would take place if we don't make a deal, most likely," he warned Pyongyang. "But if we make a deal, I think Kim Jong Un is going to be very, very happy."

A TV news screen shows DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (R) and US President Donald Trump (L) at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, May 16, 2018. /VCG Photo

Although the Kim-Trump summit remains up in the air, preparations are continuing.

"North Korea is actually talking to us about times and everything else as though nothing happened," said Trump. "We are continuing to negotiate in terms of location... where to meet, how to meet, rooms, everything else and negotiating like nothing happened."

China underscores DPRK's 'legitimate security concerns'

Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday the country welcomes US decision to provide security assurance to the DPRK under the condition of denuclearization.

China has urged the US to cherish the rare opportunity for peace on the Korean Peninsula and called on all concerned parties to move toward each other.

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"To resolve the Korean Peninsula issue in a political way calls for the concerted efforts of all relevant parties," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular press briefing on Thursday. "China always maintains that this political process shall be advanced through dialogues, and all parties' concerns shall be addressed in a balanced way, including the legitimate security concerns of the DPRK."

The US and the DPRK should "remain committed to building mutual trust and engaging in dialogues," he stressed.

(Cover: This file image captured off a cellular phone camera and taken on October 20, 2011 shows the arrest of Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi in Sirte, north Libya. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP