N. Korea offer met with cautious optimism
Missile test halt on condition of U.S. agreement to negotiate could be ‘false hope’: Trump
WASHINGTON — A cautious President Donald Trump spoke of possible progress Tuesday after South Korea announced that North Korea would halt nuclear weapons and missile tests and put its entire atomic arsenal up for discussion if the U.S. agrees to enter a negotiation. It could also be “false hope,” the American leader said.
Trump credited all sides with a “serious effort” as U.S.-allied South Korean envoys returned home from a rare visit to their northern neighbour with the news of an inter-Korean summit planned for late April. But given the North’s long history of broken promises on a nuclear program that now threatens the U.S. mainland, it wasn’t surprising that Trump hedged.
“Possible progress being made in talks with North Korea. For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned,” Trump tweeted Tuesday. “The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!”
North Korea has yet to confirm details of the announcements from Seoul that appeared to open the door to dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang after a year of escalating threats by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and escalating fears of war.
While the offer of talks could ease tensions, the adversaries will still have to overcome deep mutual suspicion. The U.S. has demanded North Korea give up its nukes, which the reclusive socialist state has insisted was off the table until Washington abandoned its “hostile policy” toward it. At a minimum, the Americans wanted a halt in nuclear and missile testing for talks to begin.
“Maybe this is a breakthrough. I seriously doubt it,” Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, told a Senate hearing Tuesday. He said his doubts are grounded in what he called failed efforts by previous U.S. administrations to negotiate with North Korea over its nuclear program.
Coats said Kim is “very calculating” and views his nuclear capabilities as “essential to his well-being as well as the wellbeing of his nation.”
Since taking office, Trump has championed a policy of “maximum pressure” on North Korea, cranking up international sanctions to limit the country’s trade. The U.S. has said the pressure is designed to force North Korea to negotiate on giving up its nukes, but Trump hasn’t ruled out military action.