US reassures Asian allies that getting North Korea to give up nuclear weapons is not a ‘lost cause’
The United States on Thursday reassured its key Asian allies Japan and South Korea that its policy seeking North Korea’s nuclear disarmament remains unchanged, after its intelligence chief called it a “lost cause”.
Our policy has not changed ... We will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state, we will not accept North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons
Washington has always maintained it cannot accept North Korea as a nuclear state and, under President Barack Obama, has made any talks with Pyongyang conditional on the country first making some tangible commitment towards denuclearisation.
US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken took issue with that view in Tokyo after a trilateral meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts.
“Our policy has not changed,” he told reporters at a joint news conference. “We will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state, we will not accept North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons. Period.”
The threat from North Korea is growing “more acute by the day” as the country ramps up its missile and nuclear tests, he added.
“We are focused on increasing the pressure on North Korea with one purpose: To bring it back to the table to negotiate in good faith denuclearisation. That is the objective,” he said.
