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 By Dave Clark, with Gael Branchereau in Stockholm Washington (AFP) March 17, 2018
Senior officials staged a flurry of calls and top-level meetings on Friday as they scrambled to make a proposed nuclear summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un a reality. There was no immediate breakthrough, but North Korea's foreign minister was to remain in Stockholm into Saturday for further talks with Swedish leaders, as the Scandinavian intermediary strives to pave the way for talks that could end a threat of nuclear war. From Washington, Trump called his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, whose government last week passed an apparent summit invitation to Trump from Kim. Trump accepted on the spot and triggered a race to set a credible agenda for what could be a historic breakthrough. - Rampant skepticism - At the same time, foreign ministers Kang Kyung-wha of South Korea and Taro Kono of Japan were in Washington for talks at an under-staffed US State Department, left in turmoil by Trump's abrupt and brutal Twitter-sacking of former secretary of state Rex Tillerson. "I think we're cautiously optimistic that the talks will happen and that this will be a breakthrough for a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue," Kang told the PBS NewsHour. The abrupt decision to accept the summit has triggered much skepticism from Korea observers but, after his call with Moon, Trump's White House remained cautiously optimistic that his strategy of making military threats backed by crippling real-world sanctions had forced Kim's hand. Trump and Moon "agreed that concrete actions, not words, will be the key to achieving permanent denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, and President Trump reiterated his intention to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by the end of May," the White House said. "The two leaders expressed cautious optimism over recent developments and emphasized that a brighter future is available for North Korea, if it chooses the correct path." Before a date or a venue for the summit can be set, North Korea will have to publicly confirm that it sent the invitation and intends to honor it, by attending a meeting to discuss giving up its nuclear arsenal. There had been speculation that Pyongyang might do so Friday, when Ri Yong Ho met Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, but afterwards Swedish officials said the talks would be extended into Saturday. Sweden has longstanding ties with North Korea. Its diplomatic mission in Pyongyang, which opened in 1975, was the first Western embassy established in the isolationist country and now represents US, Canadian and Australian diplomatic interests, with Sweden playing a key liaison role. Ri and Wallstrom dined at the foreign ministry on Thursday evening, then met again on Friday at Villa Bonnier, a lavish building near the US embassy used by the government for official functions. "It was a good and constructive atmosphere. We'll see what happens next," Wallstrom told reporters after Friday's talks. Ri made no comment as he left. - Nuclear standoff - "If we can use our contacts in the best way, we will do so," Wallstrom said, noting the situation on the Korean peninsula was "of interest to us all." Ri's delegation included Choe Kang Il, deputy director general of the foreign ministry's North America section. Some media have reported that Ri, who was stationed at North Korea's embassy in Stockholm from 1985 to 1988, will stay in the Scandinavian country until Sunday, though Swedish officials would not confirm this. A senior US administration official told AFP: "No US government staff are meeting with the North Koreans in Sweden." - 'Serve as facilitator' - International media have speculated that Sweden could either help set up a summit or be a potential location if a tete-a-tete were to be confirmed. The foreign ministry has refused to comment Speaking in Berlin on Friday, Lofven said that if Sweden "can serve as a facilitator to bring about results, then we will of course do that." Japanese broadcaster TBS said Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Moon discussed North Korea in a telephone call on Friday. TBS said Abe told Moon he wanted North Korea to not only suspend nuclear and missile testing, but also accept International Atomic Energy Inspectors on its soil. Kono asked Vice-President Mike Pence to ensure that the decades-old issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea would be raised -- along with the nuclear and missile issue -- in any summit between Trump and Kim, Kyodo news agency reported. Some reports have suggested that Japan is less optimistic than its allies in Seoul and Washington that the talks are a good idea, but US officials said talks with both Kono and Kang at the State Department had gone well. "Both sides agreed that the announcement of a meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is an historic opportunity and that the global maximum pressure campaign is working and must remain in effect," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
UN publishes report on NKorea sanctions violations United Nations, United States (AFP) March 16, 2018 - The United Nations on Friday published a lengthy experts' report on North Korea's repeated violations of the sanctions it faces over its nuclear and missile programs, including the banned export of nearly $200 million worth of goods, diplomats said. The experts' findings were first reported in early February by AFP and other news outlets who were given access to the document. As revealed last month, North Korea has flouted sanctions by: continuing to export coal, iron, steel and other banned commodities; using ships with false flags of convenience; carrying out goods transfers at sea; and using fraudulent documents to mask coal shipments. The Security Council last year adopted a series of resolutions to tighten and expand exports bans aimed at cutting off revenue to North Korea's military programs. The United States led the push for tough economic sanctions after North Korea's sixth nuclear test and a series of ballistic missile launches that raised fears that the US mainland could soon be within reach. Seven ships have been barred from ports worldwide for violating UN sanctions with coal and petroleum transfers, but the experts said much more must be done to confront "these rampant illicit activities." The report is available at documents.un.org, by using the system number S/2018/171.
Senior N.Korea official in Finland for US talks Choe Kang Il, deputy director for North American affairs at Pyongyang's foreign ministry, is expected to meet retired US diplomat Kathleen Stephens, according to multiple reports. The meeting follows three days of talks between North Korean and Swedish officials in Stockholm that apparently fell short of clearing the way for a US-North Korea summit attended by both nation's leaders. Sweden plays a key liaison role between the West and North Korea and Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom met counterpart Ri Yong Ho at the weekend. Trump earlier this month stunned many observers by agreeing to meet the North Korean leader following months of spiralling tensions on the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang's nuclear programme. His response triggered a race to set a credible agenda for what would be historic talks between the two leaders. But no specific time or venue has been set and North Korea has yet to confirm it even made the offer to meet. Kimmo Lahdevirta, the director of American and Asian affairs at Finland's foreign ministry, told AFP that there would be a "routine meeting" Sunday of officials and academics in Helsinki on the North Korean issue. He said the talks were "in no way connected" to Ri's Sweden visit, adding that Choe was not meeting any current US officials while in Finland.
North Korea's top diplomat in Sweden for talks Stockholm (AFP) March 15, 2018 North Korea's top diplomat arrived Thursday in Sweden for talks which could play a role in setting up a proposed summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrived at Stockholm's Arlanda airport around 6:15 pm (1715 GMT) before being whisked away in a diplomatic motorcade. The Scandinavian country has longstanding ties with North Korea. Its diplomatic mission in Pyongyang was the first Western embassy established in the country, in 1975. Sweden's embassy represe ... read more
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