N-Korea yet to take concrete steps to dismantle nukes: Pence
North Korea has still not taken "concrete steps" to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, US Vice President Mike Pence said yesterday, ahead of a reported meeting between North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator and top U.S. officials. Pence's statement gains significance as the White House is preparing another summit between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Details here.
We still await concrete steps by North Korea, says Pence
"While the president has started a promising dialogue with Chairman Kim, we still await concrete steps by North Korea to dismantle the nuclear weapons that threaten our people and our allies in the region," Pence said. In his address, Pence also said that Russia seeks to overturn the international order that the US has upheld for more than half a century.
Trump, Kim recently exchanged letters; first meeting was last June
Trump and Kim have recently exchanged letters. They held a historic meeting in Singapore on June 12 last year where they issued a vague goal for the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula without describing when and how it would occur.
'Russia seeks to overturn the international order upheld by US'
"Unlike the Soviet Union and its many client states, no shared ideology or objective unites our competitors and adversaries except this one," said Pence. He further said, "They seek to overturn the international order that the US has upheld for more than half a century." "Truthfully, it is a pact surrounding what they perceive to be a common enemy," he stated.
We will advance our values in the world: Pence
"But the truth is US will rise to that challenge, we'll stand with our allies and we'll advance our values in the world," Pence added. Targeting Iran, he said that Trump is standing up to the Iranian regime, which is making the west Asian nation change its ways. "As we stand today, Iran is now under unprecedented pressure to change its ways," he said.
'Disastrous nuclear deal benefited the very mullahs who oppressed people'
"The message that the disastrous nuclear deal benefited the very mullahs who oppressed their people. And even as we have striven mightily to protect our most important interests, we have also fought hard," Pence said. He added, "We have also fought hard not only to stand up to those who would challenge us but to advance American values on the world stage."
