US COMES UP TRUMPS
DON AND KIM’S UN-REAL SUMMIT
DONALD Trump has agreed to a historic meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in a stunning diplomatic breakthrough that has raised hopes the pariah nation will renounce its nuclear ambitions.
The meeting, in a yet-tobe decided location in coming months, would be the first between a US president and a leader of the rogue state, and came after Pyongyang agreed to an immediate suspension of its nuclear testing program.
Orchestrated by South Korea, the meeting was welcomed across the world, with even the President’s staunchest critics conceding Mr Trump’s hardline stance against Kim’s aggressive nuclear testing program appeared to be working.
Mr Trump said that while a meeting was being planned, and “great progress” was being made, the sanctions imposed on the rogue nation — the harshest in UN history — would remain in place.
“Kim Jong-un talked about denuclearisation with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!” the President tweeted.
South Korea’s national security adviser Chung EuiYong announced the development in Washington after travelling to Pyongyang to meet Kim on Monday.
He said North Korea was “committed” to denuclearisation and had even agreed to the continuation of US-South Korean joint military exercises — long cited by North Korea as provocative warmongering.
“I explained to President Trump that his leadership and his maximum pressure policy, together with international solidarity, brought us to this juncture. I expressed President Moon Jae-in’s personal gratitude for President Trump’s leadership,” Chung said, referring to South Korea’s president.
“Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any
further nuclear or missile tests. He understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue. And he expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible,” he said.
“President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearisation.”
Seoul had said this week that North Korea offered talks with the US on denuclearisation and normalising ties, a potential diplomatic opening after a year of escalating tensions.
Last weekend, Mr Trump said the North Koreans had reached out and his administration would consider meeting with members of Kim’s government, on the condition they agreed to be stripped of their nuclear weapons.
“They, by the way, called up a couple of days ago and said, “We would like to talk.” And I said, “So would we, but you have to de-nuke, you have to de-nuke,” Mr Trump said. “So let’s see what happens. But we will be meeting and we’ll see if anything positive happens.”
The rival Koreas had also agreed to hold a leadership summit in late April after a thaw in relations during the recent Winter Olympics, where the North and South marched together.
It came after a year of escalating verbal threats by the two leaders, with Mr Trump telling the UN in September he would “totally destroy North Korea” if attacked.
“Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself,” Mr Trump said.
Last year, North Korea tested its first ever intercontinental ballistic missiles which could potentially reach the US and therefore Australia, with a nuclear payload.
The United Nations, South Korea, the US and its allies responded to escalating tensions throughout the year by imposing the toughest ever sanctions on the North.
While North Korea’s leaders have never met a sitting US president, former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton met Kim’s grandfather and father after they left the White House.
A senior White House official last night said Mr Trump deserved credit for the development.
“When President Trump came into office in January of last year, he determined on day one that the urgent matter of denuclearising North Korea was something that would require a new approach,” the official said.
Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, claimed the historic meeting was due to South Korea’s diplomacy.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the Australian government was cautiously supportive of the dialogue.
“North Korea has a history of making agreements and then failing to honour them,” she said.