Meanwhile in North Korea: statement on Rondong Sinmun on the breakdown of talks. NK version - not our fault.
Dialogue and Pressure Can Never Go Together
An official concerned of the spokesmen’s office of the U.S. Department of State recently said that the U.S. set it as a goal to replace the armistice agreement when the DPRK is denuclearized. The official added that sanctions will be comprehensively maintained unless the DPRK is denuclearized, reaffirming the stand to stick to the principle of “denuclearization first and conclusion of a peace treaty next.”
State Secretary Pompeo also told the Senate that international sanctions will be maintained until the DPRK is denuclearized.
In the meantime, voices are ringing out among U.S. media and experts on Korean affairs that the U.S. administtaion should change its approach to the DPRK.
An American professor in politics claimed that precedence should be given to confidence and peace building if the Korean peninsula is to be denuclearized but the Trump administration has snubbed this. The U.S. strategy is in total confusion, he added.
The implementation of the Singapore DPRK-U.S. joint statement that has inspired humandkind with hope and expectation for world peace is now at a deadlock.
Why? This is because the U.S. side is unilaterally insisting on the gangster-like principle of “denuclearization first.”
Sanctions and pressure can never go together with dialogue.
Pressure will only heighten the other party’s vigilance and do more harm than good to dialogue. The same is the relations of the DPRK and the U.S. which have antagonized with each other most on the earth for a long time.
The two parties declared before the world their will to hold hands with each other and put an end to the hostile relations through the Singapore DPRK-U.S. summit meeting and talks and joint statement.
The DPRK has shown goodwill and magnanimity by dismantling its nuclear test ground in northern area and sending the remains of GIs.
However, the U.S. paid only lip-service to the improvement of the relations but did nothing. On the contrary, it is going against its promise.
The present U.S. administration should draw a lesson from the preceding administrations which drained the cup of sorrow only while resorting to sanctions and pressure for over half a century.
The U.S. side should neither insist on “denuclearization first and conclusion of a peace treaty next” nor delay the settlement of the issue of adopting a war-end declaration its president promised during the Singapore DPRK-U.S. summit.
It is the invariable will of the DPRK to resolve the matter through dialogue and negotiations.