黑料社

WASHINGTON 鈥� The United States is offering assurances to North Korea鈥檚 Kim Jong Un as it seeks to put in motion the potential for a sweeping nuclear deal ahead of President Donald Trump鈥檚 upcoming summit with the North Korean leader.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US will need to 鈥減rovide security assurances鈥� to Kim if they鈥檙e able to forge an agreement. Pompeo met with Kim last week in North Korea, helping set the stage for Trump鈥檚 historic meeting with Kim in Singapore on June 12.

Trump has set an ambitious goal for North Korea to get rid of its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way. In return, the US is willing to help the impoverished nation strengthen its economy.

Pompeo was asked on 鈥淔ox 黑料社 Sunday鈥� whether the US was in effect telling Kim he could stay in power if he met the US demands. Pompeo said: 鈥淲e will have to provide security assurances, to be sure.鈥�

The top US diplomat did not elaborate, but his comment could refer to the type of assurances North Korea has sought in the past.

A statement issued during international negotiations with North Korea in 2005 over its nuclear weapons development said the 鈥淯nited States affirmed that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade (North Korea) with nuclear or conventional weapons.鈥�

The North has said it needs nuclear weapons to counter what it believes is a U.S. effort to strangle its economy and overthrow the Kim government.

鈥淢ake no mistake about it, America鈥檚 interest here is preventing the risk that North Korea will launch a nuclear weapon into L.A. or Denver or to the very place we鈥檙e sitting here this morning,鈥� Pompeo said from Washington. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our objective, that鈥檚 the end state the president has laid out and that鈥檚 the mission that he sent me on this past week, to put us on the trajectory to go achieve that.鈥�

Pressed in a separate interview on whether the US would seek regime change, Pompeo said 鈥渙nly time will tell how these negotiations will proceed.鈥�

鈥淭he president uses language that says 鈥檞e鈥檒l see,鈥欌�� Pompeo told CBS鈥檚 鈥淔ace the Nation.鈥� 鈥淭he American leadership under President Trump has its eyes wide open.鈥�

North Korea said Saturday that all of the tunnels at the country鈥檚 northeastern nuclear test site will be destroyed by explosion in less than two weeks, ahead of Kim鈥檚 summit with Trump. Observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed, the North said. Pompeo praised it as 鈥渙ne step along the way.鈥�

John Bolton, the president鈥檚 national security adviser, described the types of steps that North Korea would need to take as part of a denuclearization process, including the potential involvement of a processing center in Tennessee.

鈥淭he implementation of the decision means getting rid of all the nuclear weapons, dismantling them, taking them to Oak Ridge, Tennessee,鈥� Bolton said in an interview with ABC鈥檚 鈥淭his Week.鈥� 鈥淚t means getting rid of the uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing capabilities,鈥� adding the process would also need to address North Korea鈥檚 ballistic missiles.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody believes you鈥檙e going to sign the complete ending of the nuclear program in one day. But we are also very much interested in operationalizing the commitment as quickly as possible,鈥� Bolton said.

Bolton said in an interview with CNN鈥檚 鈥淪tate of the Union鈥� that North Korea should not 鈥渓ook for economic aid from us. I think what the prospect for North Korea is to become a normal nation, to behave and interact with the rest of the world the way South Korea does.鈥�

鈥淭he prospect for North Korea is unbelievably strong if they鈥檒l commit to denuclearization. That鈥檚 what the president is going to say,鈥� he said.

Pompeo said private-sector Americans could help rebuild North Korea鈥檚 energy grid and develop the country鈥檚 infrastructure. He described the possibility of American agriculture being used to 鈥渟upport North Korea so they can eat meat and have healthy lives.鈥�

South Korea has said Kim has shown an interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons in return for economic benefits. But it remains unclear if Kim would ever fully relinquish the weapons he probably views as his only guarantee of survival.