U.S. official says not ruling out eventual direct talks with N.Korea

U.S. official says not ruling out eventual direct talks with N.Korea
Tue Oct 17, 2017 08:31:48

The United States is not ruling out the eventual possibility of direct talks with North Korea, Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan said on Tuesday, hours after Pyongyang warned nuclear war might break out at any moment.

(reuters) -- Talks between the adversaries have long been urged by China in particular, but Washington and its ally Japan have been reluctant to sit down at the table while Pyongyang while it continues to pursue a goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States.

"Eventually, we don´t rule out the possibility of course of direct talks," Sullivan said in Tokyo after talks with his Japanese counterpart.

"Our focus is on diplomacy to solve this problem that is presented by the DPRK. We must, however, with our allies, Japan and South Korea and elsewhere, be prepared for the worst should diplomacy fail," he said.

Tensions have soared following a series of weapons tests by North Korea and a string of increasingly bellicose exchanges between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

(Photo: nytimes)

Category:
string(483) "[{"id":"3071326","sort":"9011281","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"150745319112944200.jpg","title":"Trump rejects diplomacy with N Korea, hints at military action"} ,{"id":"3085046","sort":"9011276","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"150804093451852200.jpg","title":"Clinton attacks Trump's handling of Iran, North Korea "} ,{"id":"3085771","sort":"9011271","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"150806068970560700.jpg","title":"N.Korea not ready to hold talks with S.Korea in Russia - agencies "} ]"