The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
N. Korea given no concessions to talk, U.S. says
White House leaves open possibility that meeting won’t happen.
Trump administration officials said Sunday that the United States had made no concessions to the North Korean regime in exchange for what would be a historic meeting between President Donald Trump and the reclusive nation’s leader, Kim Jong Un.
But the White House also left open the possibility that the talks, which South Korean officials have said would happen by the end of May, could ultimately not happen — particularly if the North Koreans conduct nuclear or missile tests in coming weeks.
“There’s the possibility,” White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah said on ABC News’s “This Week” of the prospects of the talks falling through.
“If it does, it’s the North Kore- ans’ fault. They have not lived up to the promises that they made.”
The conditions that Trump has set, according to administration officials, is that Kim would halt any nuclear or missile testing until the talks occur and allow joint military exercises between the South Korea and the United States to proceed. The regime has also committed to saying “complete, verifiable, irre- versible denuclearization” is on the table, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Sunday.
“These are real achieve- ments. These are conditions that the North Korean regime has never submitted to in exchange for conversations,” Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Never before have we had the North Korean in a position where their economy was at such risk and where their leadership was under such pressure that they would begin conversations on the terms that Kim Jong Un has conceded to.”
He said the administration had given Kim “nothing” in exchange for Trump agree- ing to meet with him and added: “While these negotia- tions are going on, there will be no concessions made.”
Pompeo, who has secured a bond with Trump in part by public, often Kim reliably were personal implied among praising that attacks those Trump’s him pres- on in sure News’ points, “Face the saying Nation” on CBS that U.S. intelligence officials had briefed Trump on how Kim “might react and how North Korea might respond.”
But it is hard to differentiate the way Trump has treated Kim on Twitter — referring to him derisively as “Little Rocket Man,” for example — from the way he mocks most adversaries, including the press and political opponents.
Washington announcement The White with House its Thursday stunned surprise that accepted the administration overtures from had
Kim to meet directly with Trump — a statement that Trump himself teased with an impromptu visit to the brief- ing room. No sitting U.S. pres- ident has met directly with the leader of North Korea, which wants to be legitimized on the world stage.
No specific date or location has been announced for the Trump-Kim discus- sions, and administration officials downplayed the sig- nificance of where the talks would be held.
“President Trump isn’t doing this for theater. He’s going to solve a problem,” Pompeo said. “What’s most import ant is what’s discussed and the clarity and the strength and resolve of this president and this administration to achieve the outcome that Americans so desperately deserve.” Shah said no location was “being ruled out” for the discussions, although he said the prospect of Trump heading to North Korea was not “highly likely.” “We don’t have an announcement right now, but we have accepted this offer and we hope that it can be the part of an important breakthrough,” Shah said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” that Trump will demand that Kim dismantle his nuclear weapons program. “That’s the objective, and that’s what we’re going to accomplish,” he said. And Mnuchin dismissed unnamed Trump officials in a New York Times report who assigned less-than-even odds of the meeting actually happening. “I would expect the meeting goes forward,” he said.