The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Delicate stage in talks for US/North Korea summit
US defence secretary says there is lots of ‘potential for misunderstanding’
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said the diplomatic push to solve the North Korean nuclear weapons crisis was at such a delicate stage he will not publicly discuss the talks.
Mr Mattis was among advisers who were at the White House when President Donald Trump decided on Thursday to accept the offer from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet by May.
The offer was relayed to Mr Trump by a South Korean government delegation that briefed the president on its meeting with Kim last week in the North Korean capital.
“I do not want to talk about Korea at all. It’s that delicate,” Mr Mattis said as he flew to the Middle East.
“When you get in a position like this, the potential for misunderstanding remains very high,” he said, explaining his unwillingness to talk about any aspect of the diplomatic efforts.
The Pentagon chief said the White House and State Department were best suited to discuss the situation in advance of the May meeting.
He declined to discuss the timing and scale of annual US-South Korean military manoeuvres which were postponed during the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Those exercises are expected to be held next month, but no official announcement has been made.
Mr Trump said on Saturday he believes North Korea will abide by its pledge to suspend missile tests while he prepares for the summit.
He noted in a tweet that North Korea has refrained from such tests since November and said Kim “has promised not to do so through our meetings.”
“I believe they will honour that commitment,” the president said.
Later, at a political rally in Pennsylvania, when Mr Trump mentioned Kim’s name, the crowd booed.
However, Mr Trump responded: “No, it’s very positive... no, after the meeting you may do that, but now we have to be very nice because let’s see what happens, let’s see what happens.”
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has directed a jibe at Donald Trump for withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.
Mr Macron did not name the US President while speaking at the first meeting of the International Solar Alliance in New Delhi.
However, while hailing the “solar mamas”, a group of women trained as solar engineers, he said the women had continued their mission to promote solar energy even after “some countries decided just to leave the floor and leave the Paris agreement”.
Mr Trump announced in June that the US was withdrawing from the accord.