 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 By Francesco FONTEMAGGI Washington (AFP) Sept 30, 2019
John Bolton warned Monday that North Korea had not truly chosen to give up nuclear weapons in the hawk's first public appearance since he left as President Donald Trump's national security advisor. At a think-tank conference on North Korea, Bolton said he could now "speak in unvarnished terms" about the "grave threat" posed by the regime of Kim Jong Un, who has courted Trump. "It seems to be clear that the DPRK has not made a strategic decision to give up its nuclear weapons," Bolton said, referencing the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "In fact, I think the contrary is true. I think the strategic decision that Kim Jong Un is operating through is that he will do whatever he can to keep a deliverable nuclear weapons capability and to develop and enhance it further," Bolton said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "These are the questions that need to focus our attention -- not can we get another summit with Kim Jong Un." His comments are at odds with Trump's rosy depictions of Kim after three meetings, with the US leader hailing the young strongman's "beautiful letters" and insisting that Kim would stay true to his word. Bolton has long been known for his strong opposition to North Korea, which once, before he served with Trump, denounced him as "human scum." When they parted ways, Trump pointed to a comment by Bolton -- how he favored a "Libyan model" for North Korea -- as an example of his top aide "being not smart." In 2003 as the United States was invading Iraq, Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi negotiated an end to its nuclear program in return for reconciliation with the West. But Western powers in 2011 backed an uprising against Kadhafi, who was later found in a drainage pipe, tortured and lynched. Bolton on Monday stood by his remarks, saying the "Libyan model" referred to a strategic decision to give up nuclear weapons. "We saw Moamer Kadhafi make an unambiguous decision that he and Libya would be better off without developing nuclear weapons," said Bolton, an architect of the Iraq war. - Seeing threat in launches - Bolton also took aim at North Korea's repeated firing of short-range projectiles. Trump has played them down, saying that Kim enjoys the launches and that they do not violate agreements. "The testing of shorter-range ballistic missiles that we've see in recent months doesn't give us any reason to think that those are not threatening," he said. He said that short-range projectiles would help the North develop the technology behind longer-range missiles. He faulted the halt to military exercises with South Korea, ordered by Trump as a conciliatory gesture, saying that it weakened military preparedness. He also said that the United States was paying insufficient attention to tensions between South Korea and Japan, which have soared over issues related to colonial history. "It's well below the radar screen here in the United States, which is a big mistake for our country not paying more attention to," he said. Trump announced on September 10 that he had fired Bolton -- who said he quit -- after multiple disagreements. Besides North Korea, Bolton had pushed for a tough line on Iran and Venezuela, musing in the past about military action. Bolton at the conference urged a more engaged United States, an implicit criticism of Trump's hopes to scale back US commitments overseas. "This is not the time for US disengagement or withdrawal. It is a time for more US involvement and leadership on the Korean peninsula, in Asia and worldwide -- more, not less."
N.Korea doubts prospects for future summit with US Seoul (AFP) Sept 27, 2019 US aggression and an obsession with disarmament mean another summit between Washington and Pyongyang is looking doubtful, North Korea said on Friday, even as it praised US President Donald Trump as "bold" and "wise". Washington has "done nothing for the implementing the joint statement" from the first US-North Korea summit held in Singapore last year, Kim Kye Gwan, advisor to North Korea's foreign ministry, wrote in a statement carried in Pyongyang's official news wire KCNA. The official then sl ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
