By Theodore Shoebat
Kim Jong-un is said to have agreed to a joint effort on “complete denuclearization” in an historic meeting with Donald Trump. According to Der Standard:
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have signed a document at their historic summit in Singapore, in which both sides agree on joint efforts to “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula. Trump also promised North Korea security guarantees. The two heads of state want to implement their agreement “completely” and “swiftly”, according to the document. They also want to work towards a “lasting and stable” peace solution for the Korean Peninsula. “The world will see big changes,” said Kim afterwards.
Trump said he expected the beginning of the denuclearization process in North Korea very soon. For this purpose there should be talks in the coming week. North Korea’s nuclear disarmament will be overseen by US and international officials. The earliest possible follow-up negotiations will be led by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a senior North Korean official. No military maneuvers In a press conference Trump announced later also a stop of the military maneuvers with South Korea. This step can also save a lot of money. These are very expensive, inappropriate “war games”.
“We have a new deal with South Korea,” said the US president. To reduce the troop presence of the United States in South Korea but for the time being is not part of the considerations. The sanctions against North Korea are to remain for the time being, according to Trump. According to local journalists, South Korea reacted cautiously to the announcement that they would suspend common military maneuvers in the future. It is only to find out what Trump’s intentions are, according to the president’s office. Nevertheless, South Korean President Moon Jae In praised the courage and determination of Kim and Trump. One will leave the dark times of the war behind forever.
Trump: summit is “success” Trump described the meeting, in which for the first time a reigning US president with a reigning ruler of North Korea for talks came together, as a success. It had gone better than anyone expected, he said on Tuesday. “There was a lot of progress – really positive, I think, better than anybody could imagine.” Further details from the document were not known at first. The US and North Korea want to put their relationships on a new footing. This is to meet the desire of both peoples for “peace and prosperity,” according to the joint agreement signed by Trump and Kim on Tuesday. Trump announced that the new relations between the US and North Korea should contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean peninsula and the world. Both countries undertake to trace back the remains of POWs and missing persons. So far, the two states have no diplomatic contacts with each other. The summit document speaks of a “firm and unwavering commitment” to comprehensive nuclear disarmament. Another article says that Kim will “work towards nuclear disarmament” in the spirit of Panmunjom’s statement that was reached this year together with South Korea.
I don’t get excited over diplomatic meetings. What could this mean? Could the United States be trying to tame North Korea and make friends with the North Koreans in order to use them in the future in a conflict in the Far East in which the Japanese are back on the warpath? Or is the United States going to piss off the North Koreans in some other way, and this is all going to fall apart? Or is this all for publicity, and the same old propaganda wars are going to simply continue on in the near future? Or is the United States going to make some sort of diplomatic relationship with North Korea, only to abandon it later when the Japanese start trying to revive their old empire? Perhaps all of the above? We will see.