Trump, Kim to hold 2nd summit, focus on denuclearization

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are set to kick off their second face-to-face dialogue Wednesday evening in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, with analysts watching whether Kim will commit to concrete denuclearization measures.

کد خبر: ۸۸۱۶۲۶

تاریخ: ۰۸ اسفند ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۸:۳۳

During the two-day summit, Trump and Kim are expected to discuss the verifiable dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear complex and other weapons facilities in North Korea in exchange for a declaration of a formal end to the 1950-1953 Korean War, or an easing of punishing economic sanctions on the country.

The United States aims to hammer out a joint statement showing tangible progress beyond the vague commitments agreed to by Trump and Kim at their previous meeting -- the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit -- in Singapore last June.

Given Trump's apparent eagerness to claim a big foreign policy win in the run-up to his 2020 re-election bid, and his recent remark that he is in "no rush" to denuclearize North Korea, some analysts suspect the president may be tempted to focus on less challenging issues such as declaring an end to decades-long enmity with the country.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that North Korea has "awesome" economic potential if it abandons its nuclear weapons program.

"The potential is AWESOME, a great opportunity, like almost none other in history, for my friend Kim Jong Un," the tweet said. "We will know fairly soon -- Very Interesting!"

The Hanoi session will start with a brief one-on-one greeting between the leaders, to be followed by a social dinner, according to the White House. No details are available yet about Thursday's schedule.

Aside from prodding Kim to give up North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, Trump -- at the request of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- is also likely to demand that Pyongyang resolve the issue of its abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney will accompany Trump at Wednesday's dinner at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, a French colonial-era five-star hotel, the White House said.

Kim is expected to bring Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, and possibly Kim Yo Jong, the leader's sister and close aide.

In Singapore, Kim promised to work toward "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, while Trump committed to providing security guarantees to Pyongyang.

Yet there have been few conciliatory signs since then, with the United States demanding North Korea dismantle its arsenal with international verification, and Pyongyang calling for a lifting of the sanctions.

North Korea has also sought an end-of-war declaration to the 1950s conflict as a first step toward guaranteeing its security. Proponents say such a confidence-building measure would facilitate denuclearization.

Such a statement is not legally binding and would only represent a symbolic end to the war, which was halted with an armistice, not a peace treaty.