Trump: Cancelled summit with North Korea may still hold

                                       


                                     



  The June 12 summit planned with the United States and North Korea can  still hold, US President Donald Trump said after Pyongyang dialled down its belligerent rhetoric and struck a conciliatory tone yesterday.

Being Interviewed  by reporters before he boarded his Marine One helicopter, Mr Trump said the two sides are talking. "They very much want to do it. We would like to do it. We are going to see what happens."
His defence chief James Mattis sounded similarly hopeful, saying the meeting may be back on the cards if diplomats can pull it off.


North Korea had, just  some hours after Mr Trump abruptly cancelled the highly anticipated summit with its leader Kim Jong Un, issued an appeasing statement, saying there is "urgent necessity" for the talks, and that it is still open to meeting "at any time". Its latest tone was in sharp contrast to its antagonistic remarks over the past week, which included describing US Vice-President Mike Pence as a "political dummy".
 Donald trump had earlier written to the North korean leader a day before that the meeting was no more possible after    inside the White House, an  alarm sounded at about 10pm on Wednesday when National Security Adviser John Bolton told the U.S  President about North Korea's public statement threatening a "nuclear-to-nuclear showdown", and mocking Vice-President Mike Pence as a "political dummy".


The President was dismayed by Pyongyang's bellicose rhetoric, the same theatrics Mr Trump often deploys against his adversaries.
 Mr Bolton advised him that such  language was a very bad sign, and the President told advisers that he was concerned Mr Kim was manoeuvring to back out of the summit and make Americans look like very  desperate suitors, according to a person familiar with the conversations.







                 This made the U.S  President to write that:
              
          Dear Mr. Chairman:
We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant. I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.
I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.
      
First Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan maintained in a statement released yesterday that Mr Kim had been earnestly preparing for the meeting, which was to be held in Singapore in less than three weeks.
Mr Trump had on Thursday called the summit off, citing North Korea's "tremendous anger and open hostility". US officials said the North Koreans had broken promises and failed to show up for a planned meeting in Singapore last week.

Yesterday, Mr Trump appeared mollified, tweeting shortly before boarding his helicopter: "Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea. We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!"


The summit is still likely to happen eventually, said Dr Lee Sung-Yoon, professor of Korean Studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. "There are victories to be won by both parties. Kim will have to make more concessions beyond decommissioning a tired nuclear testing site, perhaps agree to ship out some ballistic missiles and let inspectors access its Yongbyon nuclear reactor," Dr Lee said.
North Korea had, just before Mr Trump's surprise announcement on Thursday, dismantled its nuclear test site in the country's far north-east. "But Kim will, in due course, continue his two-act play of provocations and post-provocation peace ploys," Dr Lee cautioned.