No relief until N. Korea denukes: Mattis
North Korea will receive relief only when it demonstrates verifiable and irreversible steps to denuclearisation — Jim Mattis, US defence secretary
Singapore, June 3: North Korea will not get any sanctions relief until it has demonstrated “irreversible” steps to denuclearisation, US defence secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday.
Speaking at a security conference in Singapore ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Mr Mattis said it is vital that the international community keeps UN Security Council sanctions in place for now.
“North Korea will receive relief only when it demonstrates verifiable and irreversible steps to denuclearisation,” Mr Mattis said during public remarks at a meeting with the South Korean and Japanese defence ministers.
“In this moment we are steadfastly committed to strengthening even further our defence cooperation as the best means to preserving the peace.”
South Korean Defence Minister Song Young- moo said that given recent developments in North Korea, “one can be cautiously optimistic as we go forward”. Mr Mattis has tended to stay away from commenting publicly on the upcoming summit.
The key task ahead of the summit is to settle the agenda. The main stumbling block is likely to be the concept of “denuclearisation” — both sides say they are in favour of it, but there is a yawning gap between their definitions.
Washington wants North Korea to quickly give up all its nuclear weapons in a verifiable way in return for sanctions and economic relief.
Singapore, June 3: It will be a “bumpy road” to the nuclear negotiations with North Korea later this month, defence secretary Jim Mattis warned Sunday, telling his South Korean and Japanese counterparts they must maintain a strong defensive stance so the diplomats can negotiate from a position of strength.
Mr Mattis was speaking at the start of a meeting with South Korean defense minister Song Young- moo and Japanese defense minister Itsunori Onodera on the final day of the Shangri- La Dialogue security conference. He said allies must remain vigilant.
“We can anticipate, at best, a bumpy road to the negotiations,” Mattis said. “In this moment we are steadfastly committed to strengthening even further our defense cooperation as the best means for preserving the peace.”
Plans are moving forward for a nuclear weapons summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong- un on June 12 in Singapore. And Mattis repeated the U. S. position that North Korea will only receive relief from UN national security sanctions when it demonstrates “verifiable and irreversible steps” to denuclearisation.