Pence's comments suggested that the administration of President Donald Trump, which has mostly taken a hard line over any potential engagement with North Korea, might be looking more favorably at diplomatic options. North Korea has made clear that it does not intend to negotiate away its nuclear and missile programs in return for relief from international sanctions. Pence was quoted as describing the approach as “maximum pressure and engagement at the same time.”Speaking to reporters on his flight home on Saturday, Pence said the United States, South Korea and Japan were in complete agreement on isolating North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. South Korea’s presidential Blue House also had no immediate comment. In December, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's offered to start talks with North Korea without pre-conditions, but the State Department later said there would first have to be a "period of calm" in which Pyongyang suspends testing before any negotiations could begin.

Source: bd News24 February 12, 2018 03:33 UTC