The Manila Times

Pompeo insists: NKorea sanctions to stay

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TOKYO: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday shrugged off North Korean accusation­s of “gangster-like” behavior and said sanctions on Pyongyang would only be lifted

Speaking in Tokyo after two days of intense discussion­s in Pyongyang, Pompeo insisted the talks were making progress and were being conducted in “good faith.”

In stark contrast, Pyongyang’s take was overwhelmi­ngly negative, with the North warning that the future of the peace process was being jeopardize­d by overbearin­g US demands for its unilateral nuclear disarmamen­t.

suggested the harshly- worded North Korean reaction was a negotiatin­g tactic. But after two days of theatrical amity in Pyongyang it illustrate­d the gulf that remains between the two sides.

In Tokyo, Pompeo briefed his Japanese and South Korean counterpar­ts on the talks, and sought to reassure them that the dialogue with North Korea would continue. His trip to Pyongyang had been

- arisation commitment­s made during last month’s historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea has long trumpeted a denucleari­zation goal, but one that it sees as a lengthy process of

- ment on the entire Korean peninsula, rather than a unilateral dismantlem­ent of its nuclear arsenal.

Speaking in Tokyo, Pompeo said his efforts to push the North on disarmamen­t had the backing of the entire internatio­nal community.

“If those requests were gangsterth­e world is a gangster, because there was a unanimous decision at the UN Security Council about what needs to be achieved,” he said.

While insisting again that the talks were moving forwards, he stressed that nothing had happened to merit a relaxation of the tough sanctions imposed on the North over its nuclear missile program. “Sanctions will remain in place

- ization as agreed to by Chairman Kim (Jong Un) occurs,” Pompeo said, adding that the US would seek to smooth the path by providing security guarantees requested by Pyongyang.

In practical terms, Pompeo mentioned only that officials from both sides would meet on July 12 to discuss the repatriati­on of the remains of some US soldiers killed during the 19501953 Korean War.

North Korea’s angry reaction to the talks with Pompeo came in a Foreign Ministry statement that berated the Secretary over his “unilateral and gangster-like” demands and for offering no constructi­ve steps on the US side.

Pyongyang noted that it had already destroyed a nuclear test site — a concession that Trump has publicly hailed as a victory for peace — and lamented that Pompeo had proved unwilling to match this with US concession­s.

It dismissed Trump’s unilateral order to suspend joint US and South Korean war games as a cosmetic and “highly reversible” measure and criticised US negotiator­s who “never mentioned” the subject of bringing the 1953 Korean War to a formal end with a peace treaty.

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