US Ready to Resume Denuclearisation Talks With North Korea: Pompeo
Pompeo welcomed Moon and Kim’s reaffirmation of the Singapore joint statement of complete denuclearisation.
advertisement
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday, 20 September said America was prepared to engage immediately in negotiations with North Korea to transform relations and to achieve the denuclearisation of Pyongyang by 2021.
His comments came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to make a historic visit to South Korea soon and close a missile testing site in the presence of international inspectors in a meeting with President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
Pompeo, in a statement, welcomed Moon and Kim’s reaffirmation of the Singapore joint statement of complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, including the permanent dismantlement of all facilities at Yongbyon in the presence of the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.
“We also welcome Chairman Kim's decision to complete the previously announced dismantlement of Tongchang-ri site in the presence of US and international inspectors as a step toward the final fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea, as agreed by Chairman Kim at the Singapore summit with President Trump,” Pompeo added.
On the basis of these important commitments, he said, the US was prepared to engage immediately in negotiations to transform its relations with North Korea.
Pompeo said he has invited South Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho to a meeting in New York City next week, where they both are already scheduled to be in attendance at the United Nations General Assembly.
"Likewise, we have invited North Korean representatives to meet our Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, in Vienna, Austria, at the earliest opportunity," he added.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)