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WORLD NEWS Friday 20 april 2018

Seoul: N. Korean

leader removes

major nuclear

sticking point

By FOSTER KLUG then when Kim is to meet
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) U.S. President Donald
— South Korean President Trump sometime in May or
Moon Jae-in said Thursday June, that outsiders might
that his rival, North Korean know just what North Korea
leader Kim Jong Un, isn't intends. Until then, caution
asking for the withdrawal of is needed over the state-
U.S. troops from the Korean ments the various leaders
Peninsula as a precondition are using to set up their
for abandoning his nuclear high-stakes negotiations.
weapons. If true, this would Moon and Kim's summit on
seem to remove a major April 27 will be only the third
sticking point to a potential such meeting between the
nuclear disarmament deal. countries' leaders. Moon,
North Korea, a small, au- a liberal who is committed
thoritarian nation surround- to engaging the North de-
ed by bigger and richer spite being forced to take
neighbors, has always a hard line in the face of In this Wednesday, April 11, 2018, photo, South Korean army soldiers stand guard at the border
linked its pursuit of nuclear repeated North Korean villages of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea.
weapons to what it calls a weapons tests last year, is Associated Press
"hostile" U.S. policy that is eager to make the summit
embodied by the 28,500 a success and pave the a commitment to a com- for their summit. Trump also verification of that process.
U.S. troops stationed in way for Kim and Trump to plete denuclearization," said that North and South The armistice that halted
South Korea, the 50,000 sta- settle the deep differences Moon said during a meet- Korea are negotiating an fighting in the war was
tioned in Japan, and the they have over the North's ing with the heads of me- end to hostilities before signed by the U.S.-led Unit-
"nuclear umbrella" security decades-long pursuit of nu- dia organizations in South next week's summit. ed Nations Command,
guarantee that Washing- clear weapons. Korea on Thursday. "They North Korea has long North Korea and China.
ton offers allies Seoul and Many analysts believe that are not presenting a con- sought a peace treaty with South Korea was a mem-
Tokyo. Kim sees the meeting with dition that the U.S. cannot the United States to formal- ber of the U.N. Command
Although Moon reported Trump as a way to bestow accept, such as the with- ly end the 1950-53 Korean but was not a direct signa-
that North Korea isn't asking legitimacy on his own lead- drawal of the American War. Some South Koreans tory.
for the U.S. troops to leave, ership and on a rogue nu- troops in South Korea. ... fear the North could use In their previous summit in
he said the North still wants clear program that he has North Korea is only talking such a treaty as a pretext 2007, the Koreas declared
the United States to end built in the face of inter- about the end of a hostile for demanding the with- a commitment toward end-
its "hostile" policy and offer national criticism and crip- policy against it and then a drawal of the American ing the war and vowed to
security guarantees. When pling sanctions. Many say it security guarantee for the troops in the South. Some pursue discussions with oth-
North Korea has previously is unlikely that the North will country." worry that potential discus- ers. But the efforts faltered
talked about "hostility" it trade away its hard-won Trump revealed Tuesday sions on formally ending and relations between the
has been linked to the U.S. nuclear weapons without that the U.S. and North the war may distract from rivals worsened after a con-
troops in South Korea. getting what it wants in re- Korea had been holding already difficult efforts to servative government took
It won't be until Moon and turn. direct talks at "extremely rid the North of nuclear office in Seoul in February
Kim meet next week, and "North Korea is expressing high levels" in preparation weapons and apply robust 2008.q