N Korea ready to talk with Trump ‘They stood us up’: Why Trump cancelled summit
‘PRODUCTIVE RESPONSE’ US president welcomes Pyongyang’s statement SEOUL/WASHINGTON:
North Korea responded on Friday in measured tones to US President Donald Trump’s decision to call off a summit with leader Kim Jong Un which had been scheduled for next month, saying Pyongyang hoped for a “Trump formula” to resolve the standoff over its nuclear weapons programme.
On Thursday, Trump wrote a letter to Kim to announce his withdrawal from what would have been the first-ever meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12.
Trump’s announcement came after repeated threats by North Korea to pull out of the summit over what it saw as confrontational remarks by US officials.
Friday’s response by North Korean vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan was more conciliatory.
“We have inwardly highly appreciated President Trump for having made the bold decision, which any other US presidents dared not, and made efforts for such a crucial event as the summit,” Kim said in a statement carried by state media.
“We even inwardly hoped that what is called “Trump formula” would help clear both sides of their worries and comply with the requirements of our side and would be a wise way of substantial effect for settling the issue,” he said without elaborating.
Trump said on Friday he was pleased that North Korea said it was still open to talks.
“Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea. We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!” he tweeted.
WASHINGTON:US Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate... to have this longplanned meeting. DONALD TRUMP, in his letter to Kim Jong Un
President Donald Trump personally dictated a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday, conveying his decision to call off their Singapore summit.
Last week, a team of US officials hoping to hold preparatory talks with North Korean officials was left waiting in Singapore, the venue of what was expected to be a historic visit. “The North Koreans didn’t tell us anything. They simply stood us up,” a senior White House official said.
Trump held out the possibility of talks still happening in both his letter and in following remarks. To many, it seemed like a contradictory position to hold but others thought it was negotiating position from a man who fancies himself as an ace dealmaker.
There were also reports that Trump decided to call off the meeting to pre-empt a withdrawal from North Korea.
But there were signs that roadblocks had begun appearing .
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo read out Trump’s letter at the start of his pre-scheduled hearing before the Senate’s foreign affairs committee and sought to reassure lawmakers that the administration was prepared to go through with the talks. But he couldn’t conceal his frustration.
“Over the past many days, we have endeavoured to do what Chairman Kim and I had agreed, which was to put teams, preparation teams together to begin to work to prepare for the summit — and we have received no response to our inquiries,” he said.
That was an alarming admission from the top American negotiator with North Korea, reflecting the growing unease about the talks on both sides.
And then came the Thursday diatribe against vice president Mike Pence. A North Korean official lashed out at Pence, calling him a “political dummy” and “ignorant and stupid”.
North Korea seemed annoyed by Trump administration officials’ talk of the Libyan Model. Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi gave up his nuclear weapons programme between 2003 and 2004 in return for relief from sanctions. He was forced out of office during a Nato-led military intervention in 2011 and was killed by rebel forces while on the run.