North Korea: Kim Jong Un sets deadline for US Summit
Kim Jong Un the North Korean leader has expressed his willingness for holding a third summit with the US President Donald Trump. He has also stated that the failure to reach conclusive terms which are acceptable to both may lead to a revival of tensions between the two nations. He stressed the fact that the US needs to draw up a new line of approach and give up on its present method.
He said, “ If it [the United States] keeps thinking that way, it will never be able to move the DPRK even a knuckle nor gain any interests no matter how many times it may sit for talks with the DPRK”. Kim also said that he will wait for the US to make a bold decision until the end of the year. The latest summit between the two leaders had broken down in Vietnam and had ended in no agreement between the two countries. There have been two meetings between the leaders so far one in Singapore in June last year and the second in Hanoi in February this year. Both the summits have only been able to generate enough goodwill between the leaders but fell short of any conclusive agreement on lifting the sanctions in return of abandonment of the North Korean nuclear and missile programs.
The United States blamed North Korea for the deadlock in February over its demands of complete relief from the sanctions in return of only limited disarmament. Pyongyang had stated that it only wanted that some measures were eased. Kim Jong Un said, “The US had come in Hanoi talks only racking its brain to find ways that are absolutely impracticable and not really ready itself to sit with us face-to-face and settle the problem”.
Kim clarified that although the relationship with Trump has improved he will only want to have the next summit only if it presented concrete solutions to the major problem. Kim added, “The US is further escalating the hostility to us with each passing day despite its suggestion for settling the issue through dialogue. The current US policy of sanctions and pressure is as foolish and dangerous an act as trying to put out the fire with oil”.
President Trump has recently stated that the sanctions will still stay unless the North Korean regime promises complete disarmament. Kim was later elected as the chairman of the State Affairs Commission which is the most important decision making the body of the country. He was elected during a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly.
