Even for a limited nuclear deal, North Korea may settle for nothing less than sanctions relief
SEOUL - A new public broadside by North Korean officials against U.S.backed sanctions highlights the tough road ahead as negotiators prepare for talks in the wake of Sunday’s meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Media reports out of Washington have suggested the Trump administration may be willing to seek a partial deal to dismantle at least part of North Korea’s nuclear program. But ahead of what would be the first significant talks since Trump and Kim failed to reach a deal at a summit in February in Hanoi, analysts say progress is unlikely unless Washington is prepared to ease some sanctions.
North Korea’s exports to China, its main market, dropped nearly 90 percent last year, according data from Beijing, and a report this week by the Seoulbased Korea Development Institute said sanctions had put the country on a path for economic crisis. “North Korea wants actions, not words,” said Christopher Green, a Korea expert at the International Crisis Group. “I’m not sure the U.S. is mentally ready for it, even now.” After Trump met with Kim at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters a fresh round of negotiations with North Korean foreign ministry diplomats will likely happen “sometime in July”. Pompeo later made clear the United States believed sanctions put in place under U.N. Security Council resolutions needed to remain in place as talks moved forward. Ahead of February’s failed summit in Hanoi, American officials had raised the possibility that while sanctions would remain, they might be willing to take interim steps such as boosting humanitarian aid or opening liaison offices. U.S. officials, however, rejected North Korea’s offer to dismantle its reactor complex at Yongbyon in exchange for wideranging sanctions relief. Since then, North Korea has only doubled down on its calls for sanctions to be withdrawn, signaling that while lesser steps might be welcome, they would not be enough to persuade Pyongyang to give up nuclear assets. (Reuters)