The United States is ready to sit down with North Korea to resume long-awaited working-level nuclear talks, a US envoy said Wednesday.
Nuclear discussions between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since a second summit in Hanoi in February ended without an agreement over differences on the extent of denuclearisation and a sanctions relief in return.
But anticipation for renewed dialogue has been on the rise after the US and its security ally South Korea wrapped up their two-week joint military drill on Tuesday.
"We are prepared to engage as soon as we hear from our counterparts in North Korea," said Stephen Biegun, the US special representative for North Korea, after his meeting with South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon in Seoul.
The comments come amid speculation that Americans could meet with North Koreans at the demilitarised zone dividing the North and South to kick start working-level talks during Biegun's three-day stay in Seoul, which began Tuesday.
The US envoy denied media reports he would soon take a diplomatic posting in Russia, saying he remained "focused on making progress" with North Koreans and "fully committed" to the goal of the denuclearisation in the North.
Pyongyang considers the joint military exercise by the allies a rehearsal for invasion and has routinely expressed anger at the war games.
It called South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week an "impudent guy rare to be found" for hoping to resume inter-Korean talks while continuing military drills with the US.
Washington stations nearly 30,000 troops in the South to defend it from its neighbour.
US President Donald Trump tweeted earlier this month North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed his hope -- in a letter hand-delivered to him -- for resuming dialogue "as soon as the joint U.S./South Korea joint exercise are over".
Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
| Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. |
||
| SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |
 |
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only |
N. Korea fires missiles, rejects further talks with South
Seoul (AFP) Aug 16, 2019
North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles into the sea on Friday and launched a scathing attack on "foolish" calls for dialogue from South Korean President Moon Jae-in, rejecting further peace talks with Seoul. It was the sixth round of launches in recent weeks in protest at ongoing joint military drills between Seoul and the US. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has described the tests as a "solemn warning" to the South. Pyongyang has routinely expressed anger at the war game ... read more
from Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense https://ift.tt/2P5NjGQ
via space News
No comments: