Donald Trump: Kim Jong-un initiates meeting with POTUS
DONALD Trump’s own staff were caught off guard by his sudden announcement on North Korea — they weren’t the only ones.
DONALD Trump’s own White House staff were caught off guard by his sudden announcement on North Korea, saying it “wasn’t planned”.
White House officials were reportedly blindsided by Mr Trump’s decision to pop into the briefing room today to reveal an announcement would be taking place regarding North Korea.
According to CNN, the President was on his way to the East Wing to meet students when he stopped by the briefing room to tell the media the South Koreans were about to make their announcement.
“This was not planned,” an administration official said. “It was all him.”
Mr Trump appears to have caught his own top foreign policy official off guard as well.
Speaking to the media earlier in the day, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed to shoot down the prospect of direct negotiations with North Korea.
“In terms of direct talks with the United States, and you asked negotiations, we’re a long way from negotiations, we just need to be very clear-eyed and realistic about it,” Mr Tillerson said.
CNN reported that Pentagon officials were also not expecting Mr Trump’s announcement.
CNN: Some Pentagon officials were caught off guard by the announcement from Trump or unaware that an announcement had been made.
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) March 9, 2018
The revelation emerged after the President agreed to accept an invitation to meet with Kim Jong-un who promised to suspend his country’s nuclear testing.
The extraordinary move came after a delegation of South Korean officials met with Kim last week in Pyongyang.
A senior South Korean delegation visited the White House to brief officials on its talks with North Korea.
South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong announced Mr Trump had agreed to meet Kim in May.
No sitting US President has ever met with a North Korean leader and the two countries do not have diplomatic relations.
The two nations technically remain in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice and not a peace treaty.
Mr Chung said North Korea has committed to stopping his nuclear and missile tests, a longstanding US demand.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the President had agreed to the meeting.
She said Mr Trump will accept the invitation to meet with Kim at a place and time to be determined.
However she stressed all sanctions and pressure against the regime would remain in place in the meantime.
.@POTUS greatly appreciates the nice words of the S. Korean delegation & Pres Moon. He will accept the invitation to meet w/ Kim Jong Un at a place & time to be determined. We look forward to the denuclearization of NK. In the meantime all sanctions & maximum pressure must remain
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) March 9, 2018
Speaking outside the White House Mr Chung confirmed Kim has committed to stopping his nuclear and missile tests.
“Today I had the honour to invite Donald Trump and his national security team to Pyongyang,” he said.
“He (Kim) expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible.
“President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearisation.”
Mr Chung said he explained to Mr Trump his policy, together with international solidarity, had “brought us to this juncture”.
Mr Trump tweeted the move was great progress but also stressed sanctions would remain in place and that meeting plans were underway.
Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2018
It is also understood the US and South Korea will still undertake military exercises, a move Pyongyang has called provocative.
‘GIVE ME CREDIT’
Mr Trump had earlier said that South Korea will make a “major announcement” concerning North Korea.
When asked whether the announcement would be about talks with North Korea and he told ABC reporter Jon Karl: “It’s almost beyond that. Hopefully, you will give me credit.”
The major move comes after Seoul publicised that North Korea offered talks with the US on denuclearisation and normalising ties, a potential diplomatic opening after a year of escalating tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests.
The two leaders had called each other nicknames for months in an escalating war of words which set the world on edge.
Mr Trump took office vowing to stop North Korea from attaining a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the US mainland and promised to take tough action against the regime.
However he was swayed between threats and insults directed at Kim and more conciliatory rhetoric.
Mr Trump, who has ramped up economic sanctions on North Korea to force it to negotiate on giving up its nukes, has threatened the pariah nation with “fire and fury” if its threats against the US and its allies continued.
Following Kim’s repeated threats against the US in a New Year’s address, Kim mentioned the “nuclear button” on his office desk.
Mr Trump responded by tweeting that he has a nuclear button, too, “but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my button works.”
CYNICAL PLOY
Dr Malcolm Davis, senior analyst in defence strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute told news.com.au Kim was playing the game.
Dr Davis said the meeting between the two leaders was significant and not in a positive sense.
“Firstly, the North Koreans, in spite of what they say, have no intention of denuclearising. Nuclear weapons are the sole guarantor of regime security and I don’t see that changing any time soon,” he said.
“The North Koreans will seek wide-ranging concessions from Trump in any meeting, including easing of economic sanctions, and will push for a reduction of US military presence on the Peninsula.
“In return they will talk about denuclearising, but they can stretch those talks out dramatically, to focus on the minutia of process, rather than policy substance.”
Dr Davis said he believed North Korea was gaining valuable time to continue working on their capabilities.
It would also allow them to potentially ease economic pressure while undermining US credibility and weakening the US-South Korean defence relationship.
“At the end the process, unless they agree to intrusive and ongoing wide-ranging verification and monitoring, we have only their word that they are actually denuclearising,” he said.
Dr Davis also said Mr Trump going to Pyongyang was “very bad optics.”
“It sends the message that Trump recognises Kim as leader of a nuclear North Korea, which would be a huge win for Kim Jong-un,” he said.
“It would be much better to meet at a neutral location – China does not really count in that sense, and I doubt Kim would go to Seoul. But I worry Trump will accept a meeting in Pyongyang.”
Mr Davis said he doubted the US would get nothing of substance out of this as “we’ve been down this path a few times before.”
‘TRUMP PLAYBOOK’
CNN international correspondent Will Ripley, who has visited North Korea dozens of times, said the credit for these talks was all down to South Korea’s efforts.
“You have to give a real hats off to President Moon Jae-in here in South Korea,” he said.
Ripley said Kim knows the President likes drama which is why he would have offered to meet him, adding sanctions were starting to bite.
“He’s taking a page from the Trump playbook,” Ripley said. “He looks at what is happening right now.”
“The trucks coming from China have gone to almost none and it’s going to have a negative effect on North Korea’s economy in the coming months and years if the sanctions continue,” Ripley said.
“There’s also the messaging from President Trump that he would be very willing to move to a military option, an attack on North Korea if diplomacy doesn’t work.”
"You have to give a real hats off to President Moon Jae-in here in South Korea." @willripleyCNN says the South Korean leader's diplomatic skills have to be praised in bringing Trump and Kim together. https://t.co/c9T2yrRFoX pic.twitter.com/qXP7EBQKlf
— CNN (@CNN) March 9, 2018
New York-based Park Strategies senior vice president Sean King, an expert on Asian politics, told news.com.au Kim’s offer to freeze without asking the US to suspend its military exercises was a major win.
“Trump’s accepted Kim’s invitation. I’m fine with that, so long as South Korea’s in the lead which it is,” he said.
“Just don’t overlook Japan which has been our most steadfast regional ally and is in North Korea’s immediate line of nuclear fire.”
Mr King said the US lost nothing by Mr Trump agreeing to meet Kim.
“I still don’t think there’s any real deal to be made, though, as eventual regime change is the only practical way out,” he said.
“But I don’t want to diminish what’s happened, as we just witnessed history. Enjoy the moment.”
BABY STEPS
Anti-nuclear weapons campaigner John Hallam said any opportunity to take tensions down should be seized with both hands, calling the talks an “outbreak of common sense”.
Mr Hallam said Mr Trump was taking a risk by meeting Kim and that this meeting would legitimise the regime, but this was still a better outcome than war.
“You’ve got to start small, he said.
“Yes in some ways it legitimises the regime, but having a jihad against it isn’t going to be particularly helpful.”
Mr Hallam said the meeting was potentially seismic “provided that the Trump administration does not ruin the opportunity”
Mr Hallam said further sanctions at this point would be silly.
He also said he didn’t believe Mr Trump should win the credit for these talks which was all down to the Korean leaders.
Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of ICAN, also welcomed the historic meeting which she said it was all down to South Korea.
“ICAN commends South Korea’s leadership in achieving history dialogue between the US and North Korea, which is the only pathway to nuclear disarmament in the face of fire and fury,” Ms Fihn said.
“We urge both North Korea and the United States to join the majority of countries in pursuing permanent denuclearisation through The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ”
— with wires
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