The US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo on Monday said that he would love to see North Korea denuclearise before the end of this year, appreciating North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent remarks showing his willingness to hold a third summit with the USA.
"There are lots of conversations taking place...President (Donald) Trump is determined to move forward diplomatically, right. This is the outcome we're looking for: Chairman Kim made a promise in June of last year in Singapore. He made a commitment to denuclearise. He's made that same commitment to me now a handful of times in person. We collectively need to see that outcome move forward," Pompeo told reporters here.
Speaking on denuclearisation, the Secretary of State said: "He (Kim) said he wanted it done by the end of the year...I'd love to see that done sooner," according to Yonhap News Agency
The first summit between Pyongyang and Washington was held in Singapore last year, where Kim agreed to completely denuclearise in exchange for dismissing sanctions against the reclusive state.
The second summit, however, failed to make any headway in the denuclearisation process as the two sides failed to resolve their differences on sanction waivers. The February summit held in Vietnam ended abruptly without the much-awaited joint agreement, which would have charted out the future course of the process.
Echoing Trump's statement, Pompeo reiterated that both the US and North Korea remain in conversation to "chart a path forward so that we can get there (denuclearisation)."
While North Korea sought relief in sanctions in exchange for the progress made towards denuclearisation, the US has time and again reiterated its stand on granting sanctions waivers once complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is achieved.
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