In an apparent shift, Tillerson says U.S. willing to hold direct talks with N. Korea

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



By Anne Gearan April 27 at 9:47 PM

NEW YORK — The Trump administration is willing to bargain directly with North Korea over ending its nuclear weapons program, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Thursday, an apparent shift in policy aimed at strengthening international resolve against what the Trump administration considers a growing menace.

“Obviously, that will be the way we would like to solve this,” Tillerson said in an interview with NPR scheduled to air Friday, when the United States is convening an unusual high-level meeting at the United Nations devoted to the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons arsenal.

“But North Korea has to decide they’re ready to talk to us about the right agenda, and the right agenda is not simply stopping where they are for a few more months or a few more years and then resuming things. That’s been the agenda for the last 20 years.”

It is not fully clear what that means, but in the NPR interview and another Thursday with Fox News, Tillerson began to sketch a diplomatic approach for the new administration that focuses on international pressure and leveraging China’s economic power over its impoverished ally.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-an-apparent-shift-tillerson-says-us-willing-to-hold-direct-talks-with-n-korea/2017/04/27/a2093a0e-2bac-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html?utm_term=.3b44cdd336a9&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1

[secondwind]

1. Good with that, Rex. n/t

[underpants]

2. It is not fully clear what that means

[dalton99a]

3. Kim Jong-un should let Trump resolve the "crisis" by using his world-class hotel expertise at the

"bargaining" table

[sharp_stick]

4. I'd really like to see this work

I don't hold out a lot of hope as I don't see either side making a lot of headway but we'll see.

[Freethinker65]

5. Thought we purged all of our diplomats? Maybe send in Baron or Tiffany if Jared and Ivanka are busy?

[TreasonousBastard]

6. This is the way it's ALWAYS been with NK...

They know perfectly well that they will be destroyed in another war. They also know we'll do damn near anything to avoid that war. So, with little chance of a war, they rattle sabers and see how much they can get.

Not sure how China feels about all this, but they seem to be getting a little tired of their spoiled little brat. If they've figured out how to keep millions of Koreans from overrunning their border, they'll drop them like a big rock.

Tillerson, unlike Trump, isn't stupid. He may or may not be a scumbag, but you can't run Exxon if you're an idiot, so he undoubtedly knows all this.

[David__77]

9. The way for China to avoid destabilization is to preserve North Korea.

I believe China would like some reformism in North Korea in the economic realm and otherwise would not support regime change, as this would be deeply destabilizing, even to the Chinese state political foundations.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

7. Its not an "apparent shift" - they always talk out of both sides of their you know what - confusion

and chaos is an intentional strategy. Havent we caught on to that YET???????????

[Bengus81]

8. It's a start but who the hell knows...........

You have two psycho's running two countries. It does seem strange many times when a country like ours with 4,000 nukes tells someone else they shouldn't possess one.

I know....the US wouldn't use one unless it became 100% necessary. Yeah well....that all changed on Jan 20th this year.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. tRump thinks it is the "art of the deal": use a big mouth and then appear to be reasonable

tRump thinks that he is smart because he likes to reverse Pres Theodore Roosevelt's doctrine and make it begin "Talk loudly". He thinks he carries a big stick (he does nominally command the military) but when it comes time to actually do something he is usually much meeker. His "big stick" that he uses is about as big as his small hands.

We've seen it on the "wall", on N Korea (to this point), on trade negotiations, on repeal/replace of ObamaCare, on "drain the swamp", and most promises & threats he has made.

David Frum tweet:  ? "Donald Trump’s core competency is not dealmaking with powerful counter-parties. It is duping gullible victims."

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

11. So many wild flipflops from the administration...

They are trying to drive us all mad I think.

[iluvtennis]

13. +++ agree

[tanyev]

16. They're going to have to rename the White House.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

17. Good one :) n/t

[Paladin]

12. Aw, how cute! trump decided he needed the UN, after all!

And who knows? Give him a few more speech opportunities, and Tillerson may figure out how to pronounce "Pyongyang"!

[cstanleytech]

14. Whats the point? Given their history the North Korean government wont abide by any agreement thats

made and will go back to blustering and threatening its neighbors.

[Oneironaut]

15. This administrative's message consistency has been awful.

It's bizarre - they may say one thing, and then completely flip-flop the next day.