Country’s ambassador to the UN said dialogue sought by US was a ‘time-saving trick’ to suit domestic political agendaNorth Korea says denuclearization off the table in US talksNorth Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Saturday denuclearization is already off the negotiating table with the US and lengthy talks with Washington are not needed. “We do not need to have lengthy talks with the US now and denuclearization is already gone out of the negotiating table,” he said in the statement made available to Reuters. Tensions have risen ahead of a year-end deadline set by North Korea, which has called on the US to change its policy of demanding Pyongyang’s unilateral denuclearization and demanded relief from punishing sanctions. In 2017, the two leaders famously engaged in a war of words, Trump calling Kim “Rocket Man” and North Korea slamming the US president, now 73, as a “dotard”. On Friday, Trump and South Korean president Moon Jae-in held a half-hour phone discussion on ways to maintain diplomacy with North Korea, South Korea said.

Source: The Guardian December 07, 2019 17:15 UTC