We're waiting to hear from the three foreign ministers in Tokyo, but as for the talks this weekend in North Korea, Mike Pompeo says they did make progress in most of the main areas. North Korea, on the other hand, says it's disappointed and has said the U.S. took a "gangster-like" approach. What were the main issues?
A North Korean spokesperson claimed the U.S. side made unilateral demands, referring specifically to CVID (complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization). North Korea really doesn't like that formula, and it seemed Washington recognized that. Wasn't CVID more or less sidelined recently in favor of FFVD (final, fully-verified dismantlement")?
- "Phased and synchronous approach" -- that's what North Korea says it wants. What does that mean practically?
They've set up these working groups to talk about issues going forward. This meeting is being characterized by many as not having achieved much.
On the one hand, President Trump has said that denuclearization would take time, while his critics started saying there had been no progress from just a few days after the summit last month.
- Meeting around July 12th on getting back the remains of U.S. soldiers. Compared to denuclearization, that seems like a relatively easy thing to accomplish. But do you think the missing soldiers back on the table as a bargaining chip for North Korea?
- Pompeo says both sides are still committed. And North Korea too said they still have trust in President Trump. Kim Jong-un's letter that he gave to Pompeo to give to Trump emphasized the friendship and trust the two leaders built in Singapore.
- When we look at the delegates the U.S. brought to the table this time -- what effect do you think that had?
- Has John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser, been playing the role of spoiler again? He'd been saying recently that denuclearization could be achieved in the space of a year, something the State Department pretty much rejected.
- North Korea says it still trusts President Trump, and Trump hasn't been saying anything negative about Kim Jong-un recently. Is it the two leaders who are holding this process together?