Singapore prepares for TrumpKim meet
It will be very important couple of days, says US president
Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan will make a two-day visit to North Korea from Thursday, days before it hosts a summit of the leaders of North Korea and the United States.
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are due to hold their historic meeting in Singapore on June 12.
Balakrishnan will call on the president of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly and ceremonial president, Kim Yong Nam.
Singapore airspace will be restricted during the summit, according to a notice to airmen posted by aviation authorities on Wednesday, which is likely to result in delays at one of Asia’s busiest airports.
As part of its preparations for the summit, Singapore has designated certain parts of city as “special event areas” for June 10 to 14. These include the central region, which is home to its foreign ministry, the US embassy and several hotels, and Sentosa Island in the south, where the summit is scheduled to take place.
Items such as remotely piloted aircraft and public address systems will be prohibited in these areas throughout this period.
Trump said that preparations for the meeting are moving along very well. “A lot of negotiation going on even before the trip. But it looks like it’s coming along fine,” he said at a White House event.
DENNIS RODMAN TO BE IN SINGAPORE: REPORT
Controversial former basketball star Dennis Rodman, who has visited North Korea five times and met Kim, will be in Singapore during the summit, the New York Post reported on Tuesday.
Quoting its sources, The Post said he would arrive a day before the summit.
“A lot of times in situations that involves complex diplomacy, countries like to identify ambassadors of goodwill and whether you agree with it or not, Dennis Rodman fits the bill,” a source was quoted as saying.
Earlier this year, Rodman said in an interview that Kim didn’t understand Trump until he gave the North Korean leader a copy of the real estate tycoon’s book The Art of the Deal last year. He also said Trump and Kim are “pretty much the same.”
KIM BEGGED FOR SUMMIT, SAYS GUILIANI
Rudy Giuliani said Trump’s decision to cancel a summit brought the North Korean leader to “his hands and knees” to beg to reschedule the meeting.
The former New York mayor, now Trump’s legal adviser, said there was no choice but to cancel the summit after Kim Jong Un insulted the vice president and threatened nuclear war. He said the tough line forced Kim to soften his stance. “Kim Jong Un got back on his hands and knees and begged for it,” he said in Israel.