Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Friday 3 November 2017
Protocol in Asia? White House: North Korea could
Trump to use ‘whatever language he wants’ be listed as sponsor of terrorism

By LAURIE KELLMAN squad of White House and land in China,” Trump said, By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Associated Press State Department officials before adding: “But it’s Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — guiding the way on other, horrible.” WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s national
When in Asia, make sure more logistical matters in Among the challenges security adviser says North Korea could be returned to
handshakes aren’t too the ancient discipline of Trump faces as he heads the list of countries the U.S. believes sponsor terrorism, as
long — or short. Don’t bob- choreographing every- to Asia are the complexi- part of Trump’s strategy to counter the North’s growing
ble names or titles. Stifle thing — from how a room is ties of the “Asian face,” a nuclear threat.
the critical tweets. Don’t set up to who stands where concept that’s foreign to “You’ll hear more about that soon, I think,” the adviser,
question the food. — and avoiding embar- many Americans but lies at H.R. McMaster, said at a briefing on the eve of Trump’s
These points of etiquette rassments. the foundation of societies five-nation tour of Asia, which starts Friday. North Korea’s
and protocol are part of “One of the things with across the region. nuclear and missile weapons threat will be a key focus of
the region’s core culture protocol is obviously to do Generally, it means mak- Trump’s meetings with the leaders of Japan, South Korea,
known as “face” — keep- no harm,” Sean P. Lawler, ing sure behavior, pos- China, Vietnam and the Philippines during the 12-day
trip, the president’s first official visit to the region.
McMaster cited the killing in a Malaysian airport earlier
this year of the estranged half-brother of North Korea’s
leader as an act of terrorism that could lead to the North’s
being added back to a list that currently includes only
Iran, Sudan and Syria.
While Malaysia has not directly accused North Korea,
South Korea’s spy agency has claimed the attack was
part of a plot by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to kill
his brother, Kim Jong Nam.
“A regime who murders someone in a public airport us-
ing nerve agent, and a despotic leader who murders his
brother in that manner, I mean, that’s clearly an act of
terrorism that fits in with a range of other actions,” Mc-
Master said. He said returning North Korea to the state
sponsors of terrorism list “is something that’s under con-
sideration.”
Kim Jong Nam died in February after two women rubbed
his face with a liquid later identified as VX nerve agent as
he passed through the airport in Kuala Lumpur.
Under legislation enacted Aug. 2, the State Department
was required to determine within 90 days — or around
Thursday — whether North Korea meets the criteria for
In this July 6, 2017 photo, President Donald Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo being designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Abe, right, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the US Consulate General Hamburg, in Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “continues to evaluate
Hamburg. Trump departed Friday for a 12-day tour through South Korea, China, Vietnam and the
Philippines. whether or not to designate DPRK as a state sponsor of
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) terror,” an official said Thursday. “The Department has
ing yours, helping others Trump’s nominee to be to ture, gestures, remarks and informed Members of Congress that he expects to con-
save theirs. In many ways, be U.S. chief of protocol, more do not spark strong clude his review and announce a decision within the
they are the opposite of said Wednesday before negative emotions in oth- month.”
President Donald Trump’s the Senate committee ers, or oneself. Trump’s trip comes amid escalating tensions with North
impulsive, in-your-face considering his confirma- So, for example, Trump’s 19 Korea, which has continued to pursue its missile and nu-
style. And he’s not expect- tion. As the director of visits seconds of shaking, pat- clear programs and ramped up its missile testing. In a re-
ed to soften it even in the and diplomacy for the Na- ting and yanking the hand cent speech at the United Nations, Trump said he would
shadow of North Korea, tional Security Council, he of Japan’s leader at the “totally destroy” the nation, if necessary. He has also
with whom he’s rattled sa- will accompany Trump on White House in February derided the North Korean leader as “little Rocket Man.”
bers about “fire and fury” the trip. crossed all kinds of cultural Kim has returned the favor, calling Trump a “mentally de-
and nuclear war. “We are the bridge,” said lines. Prime Minister Shinzo ranged U.S. dotard.”McMaster said the president would
“The president will use Capricia Marshall, Presi- Abe responded with an not temper his rhetoric against North Korea while on tour.
whatever language he dent Barack Obama’s on-camera eye roll as “The president will use whatever language he wants to
wants to use,” National Se- chief of protocol from 2009 Trump looked away. use,” he said. “That’s been of great reassurance to our
curity Adviser H.R. to 2013. Trump is playing golf with allies, partners and others in the region who are literally
McMaster told report- Protocol experts say Ameri- Abe during the trip, ac- under the gun of this regime.”
ers Thursday, on the eve can informality frequently cording to White House of- McMaster said a denuclearized Korean peninsula “is the
of Trump’s 12-day tour gets lost in translation in the ficials. only plausible outcome” and he called on other nations,
through South Korea, Chi- traditional cultures Trump Names and titles are im- including China — North Korea’s chief benefactor in the
na, Vietnam and the Phil- will be visiting. portant in Asia. region, to do more to help make that a reality.
ippines. “I don’t think the On Wednesday, Trump In July, the Trump White The national security adviser said Trump would address
president really modulates showed signs of under- House issued a news re- North Korea’s human rights record during the trip.
his language. Have you standing the sensitivity. lease that called Chinese The U.S. kept North Korea on its terrorism blacklist for two
noticed?” Even as he complained President Xi Jinping the decades after the 1987 bombing of a South Korean air-
So much for the prospects during a Cabinet meeting leader of “the Republic of liner that killed 115 people. But President George W. Bush
of Trump and the finer about “bad” trade deals China.” Xi is the president lifted the designation in 2008 to smooth the way for aid-
points of protocol during and deficits, including of the People’s Republic for-disarmament negotiations.Re-designating North Ko-
the trip, on which he’ll be with China, Trump was re- of China. Taiwan calls it- rea as a state sponsor of terrorism would be largely of
toting a hefty econom- strained. self the Republic of China. symbolic significance. North Korea is heavily and increas-
ic and national security “I don’t want to embarrass China said it received an ingly sanctioned for its nuclear and missile activity in defi-
agenda. But he’ll have a anybody four days before I apology from the U.S.q ance of United Nations Security Council resolutions. q