Tillerson: ‘We do talk to them’ (North Koreans); Trump: ‘Save your energy Rex’

by WorldTribune Staff, October 1, 2017

The United States has “lines of communications to Pyongyang,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson disclosed on Sept. 30.

“We’re not in a dark situation, a blackout,” Tillerson said during a trip to Beijing where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. / EPA-EFE

“We can talk to them. We do talk to them,” Tillerson said, adding that North Korea had shown no interest in dialogue.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Oct. 1 that dialogue with the Kim Jong-Un regime was futile at this time.

“I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,” Trump tweeted. “Save your energy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done.”

Tillerson said on Sept. 30 that communication was happening directly and cited two or three U.S. channels open to Pyongyang, but did not elaborate about which Americans were involved in those contacts or how frequent or substantive they were, Reuters reported.

The goal of any initial dialogue would be simple: finding out directly from North Korea what it wants to discuss.

“We haven’t even gotten that far yet,” Tillerson said.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said later that “North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization.”


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