US/North Korea Summit 2.0 Confirmed
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
In his Tuesday State of the Union Address, Trump said “Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one.”
Danang is the likely location. The NYT said “Trump disclosed the location in an interview last week with” with the broadsheet. “(A)ides asked that it not be immediately reported (for alleged) security reasons.”
In November 2017, Trump attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Danang, the location known months in advance.
DLT’s “bold new diplomacy (for a) historic push for peace on the Korean peninsula” accomplished virtually nothing toward it since the June 12, 2018 summit.
Trump regime hardliners remain adversarial toward the DPRK, obstructing efforts to end decades of uneasy armistice since 1953.
They want a denuclearlized North Korean vassal state bordering China, offering nothing in return but empty promises, Pyongyang betrayed before, what’s playing out again now.
Nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities are the country’s key deterrents against feared US aggression.
It’s unwilling to abandon them without iron-clad guarantees for the nation’s security, durable peace and stability on the peninsula, unacceptable sanctions lifted, a formal end to the 1950s war agreed to by South Korea and America, as well as normalized relations with the US, the West, and regional nations for the first time in its history.
On Wednesday, US special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun arrived in Pyongyang to prepare for end of February summit talks.
Trump regime demands are firm, “complete denuclearization, transforming US-DPRK relations (into a master/servant arrangement), and (the illusion of) building a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula” between Pyongyang and the US - a nation permanently at war on humanity, wanting all sovereign independent states transformed into colonies it controls.
A statement on behalf of South Korean President Moon Jae-in struck a positive tone, saying “(t)he US and North Korea have already taken their first steps towards ending 70 years of hostility in Singapore last year. (Seoul) hopes the two sides will make concrete and practical progress in Vietnam.”
A statement by Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry welcomed upcoming summit talks, supporting dialogue to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula.
In his New Year’s address, Kim Jong-un expressed willingness to denuclearize in return for Washington fulfilling a pledge to reciprocate in good faith, knowing it’s highly unlikely, given Trump regime hardliners in charge of bilateral negotiations.
Kim warned that “we could be left with no choice but to seek a new way if the US does not make good on its promises, misjudges our patience, while seeking to force things unilaterally and clinging to sanctions and pressure.”
Bilateral relations achieved no meaningful progress since last June’s summit. Nothing suggests a softening of US policy ahead, turning a page for peace and stability on the peninsula, betrayal highly likely the way things turned out earlier.
Under Republicans and undemocratic Dems, Washington doesn’t negotiate in good faith, failing to deal with other countries fairly, seeking global dominance over all other nations, not mutually cooperative relations.
The US never extended outreach to North Korea in good faith throughout its entire history. It’s inconceivable that the most extremist regime in US history will seek what its predecessors spurned.
Pompeo and Bolton demand full DPRK compliance with their demands before agreeing to anything, treating North Korea disdainfully, the way they abuse all sovereign independent states.
Prospects for durable peace and stability on the peninsula, along with normalization of US/DPRK relations are virtually nil.
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