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U.S. NEWS Monday 9 april 2018

North Korea tells U.S. that Kim

Jong Un ready to discuss nukes

By JOSH LEDERMAN paid a rare visit, that the achieved or whether it
Associated Press North was serious about might be delayed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — North the offer. The contacts between
Korea’s government has Still, North Korea’s govern- Pyongyang and Washing-
communicated with the ment has not said any- ton come as Trump’s new
United States to say that thing publicly at all about national security adviser,
leader Kim Jong Un is ready a meeting with Trump, and former U.N. Ambassador
to discuss his nuclear weap- the lack of known contact John Bolton, prepares to
ons program with President between Pyongyang and start work at the White
Donald Trump, officials said Washington about the House formally on Monday.
Sunday, increasing the like- meeting has fueled further Prior to being named to
lihood that the unprece- speculation about the seri- the post, Bolton had long
dented summit will actually ousness of Kim’s offer. expressed hawkish views
occur. A Trump administration of- about North Korea, even In this April 7, 2017, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump
The confirmation from ficial on Sunday said that advocating a pre-emptive gestures as he and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk after their
Pyongyang directly, rather the U.S. had “confirmed military strike.q meetings at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.
than from third countries that Kim Jong Un is willing Associated Press
like South Korea, has cre- to discuss the denuclear-
ated more confidence ization of the Korean Pen-
within Trump’s administra- insula?.”
tion about the wisdom of A second official said that
holding such a meeting, as confirmation had come
U.S. officials make secretive through direct contact be-
preparations. The Trump tween American and North
administration has long Korean officials.
said that if the North Kore- Neither of the officials
ans weren’t ready to dis- would say when or how the
cuss giving up their nuclear contact took place, nor in
program, there was no rea- what location. The officials
son for the two countries to weren’t authorized to com-
hold negotiations. ment by name and de-
Trump took his own admin- manded anonymity.
istration and other coun- Previously, former Secretary
tries by surprise last month of State Rex Tillerson had
when he accepted an un- said there were at least two
usual offer from Kim to hold or three channels through
a meeting. The North had which U.S. and North Kore-
conveyed the invitation to an officials communicate
a visiting delegation from from time to time.
South Korea, which in turn The Trump administra-
traveled to Washington tion has not said where
and relayed the message the meeting will place or
to Trump. whether a location has
The president said yes to been determined, nor has
the meeting on the spot, an exact date been set. Ini-
even though the U.S. had tially, the White House said
not yet heard directly from it expected the meeting to
North Korea about Kim’s take place by the end of
intentions. The U.S. later May.
heard from other countries It’s unclear whether a
including China, where Kim date that early could be