Trump team doesn't know what it wants from North Korea
The president and his top officials have been at odds with each other — and sometimes even themselves — when it comes to defining the U.S. negotiating position with Kim Jong Un.
By NAHAL TOOSI 05/31/2018 05:09 AM EDT
It was a quick but telling exchange.
At a House committee hearing earlier this month, Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas was grilling Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the Trump administration's plans for North Korea. "How do you define the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula?" Castro asked.
"Well, we've said 'complete,'" Pompeo responded. Pressed further, Pompeo cited several components of North Korea’s nuclear program — including missile capability and fissile material production — that he said would have to go.
"Will you leave them with a civilian nuclear program?" Castro asked.
After a long pause, Pompeo replied that “we have said that it won't be appropriate for them to have the capacity to enrich." But he quickly modified his answer.
"I can't answer that question,” Pompeo admitted. “I'm not in a position that I can answer that question for you today."
The back-and-forth, which took place May 23, illustrated a major challenge for the United States as President Donald Trump prepares for a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un: Trump and his top advisers don't seem to know what they want to get out of it.
more
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/31/trump-north-korea-summit-615252
= new reply since forum marked as read
