Deal or decimation, Trump warns Kim

■ US Prez confuses ‘ Libyan model’ to be applied to N. Korea

Washington, May 18: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said there is no change in the US and North Korean officials preparing for a scheduled diplomatic summit in June. His statement comes even as Pyongyang threatened in recent days to pull out of what would be a historic first meeting between the two leaders.

The US President reassured Kim Jong Un that he would remain in power if he abandons his nuclear weapons programme, but warned Kim that North Korea could be “decimated” if he refuses to strike a deal with the United States.

Trump’s comments were his most extensive since North Korea dealt a blow to hopes for a successful US- North Korea summit next month in a series of statements earlier this week.

“They’ve been negotiating like nothing happened,” Trump said of North Korea.

While he has read news reports about the North Korean statements and spoken with the South Koreans, Trump said the North Koreans have yet to signal plans to cancel the summit.

“If the meeting happens, it happens. And if it doesn’t, we go on to the next step,” Trump said. “We may have the meeting. We may not have the meeting. If we don’t have it, that will be very interesting. ... We’ll see what happens.”

Libya model The President did seek to distance himself from a comment by his national security adviser, John Bolton, that had irked the North Koreans, dismissing talk of applying the “Libyan model” to the denuclearisation of North Korea and reassuring Kim he will remain in power if he gives up his nuclear weapons.

But the President also appeared to be confused about what “Libyan model” Bolton referred to late in April, when his national security adviser said the “Libya model of 2003, 2004” could be applied to US negotiations with North Korea.

Bolton was referring to the dismantling of Libya’s weapons of mass destruction programme, but Trump appeared to refer to the “Libyan model” as the subsequent military intervention in Libya years later that removed Moammar Gaddafi from power.

“The Libyan model isn’t a model that we have at all when we’re thinking of North Korea,” Trump said. “This with Kim would be something where he would be there. He would be running his country. His country would be very rich.”