AMN / WEB DESK
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has hinted that the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jongun might take place on the 12th of next month.
The US secretary of state told the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that he was “hopeful” that the meeting would go ahead.
He said the planned June 12 summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is still set, but stressed that Washington is prepared to walk away from the negotiations if “the right deal is not on the table.” He said that ultimately whether it takes place is up to Kim, but that the United States is “very hopeful” that it does.
“We’re optimistic that we can achieve an outcome that would be great for the world,” he said.
But Pompeo, who has twice met with Kim in Pyongyang in preparation for the Singapore summit, said, “Our posture will not change until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”
“A bad deal is not an option,” he said. “The American people are counting on us to get this right.”
He said the United States has not made any concessions to North Korea before the talks.
“That decision will ultimately be up to Chairman Kim,” he said.
But he said the US would not make concessions without something significant in return:
“A bad deal is not an option. The American people are counting on us to get this right. If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away.
“Our posture will not change until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.”
N.Korea may dismantle nuclear test site on Thu
The Secretary of State said in his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the diplomatic and economic sanctions on the North Korea is bearing fruit with the historic meeting set to take place next month.
Pompeo’s remarks came a day after President Trump yesterday suggested that the historic summit may not work out even as he asserted that the North Korean leader was serious about denuclearisation.
North Korea has indicated it might call off the meeting due to disagreements on conditions by the United States for unilateral denuclearization.
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