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US-NKOREA-DIPLOMACY-SANCTIONS-ASEAN-NUCLEAR
Pompeo to urge Asians to enforce UN sanctions on NKorea
WASHINGTON, July 31, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
will urge Asian countries at an upcoming meeting in Singapore to enforce UN
sanctions on North Korea aimed at dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear program, a
US official said Tuesday.
Pompeo will be in Singapore Friday and Saturday, attending an annual
meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN).
North Korea “is in the room as a member of the ASEAN regional forum among
these 27 countries, so there will be discussions that are inclusive of North
Korea,” a senior State Department official said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
The official did not rule out a one-on-one meeting between Pompeo and his
North Korean counterpart on commitments made during the historic June 12
summit in Singapore between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un.
“With regard to potential encounters, pull aside, bilateral meetings, all
of those are possible with members of the ASEAN regional forum,” the official
said.
“There are chance encounters, there are sometimes planned encounters — but
we’re not there yet for any announcement,” the official said.
In a joint declaration after the June 12 summit, the North Korean leader
“reaffirmed his commitment” to work towards the “denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula.”
But the actual details of the process, including how and when the North’s
nuclear program is to be dismantled, have yet to be worked out.
Pompeo, charged with nailing down the details of the Singapore commitment,
traveled to Pyongyang in early July for what apparently was a fruitless
visit.
The lack of progress has been a source of concern for many observers,
especially as international sanctions are beginning to ease and news reports
indicate that North Korea is continuing its nuclear and ballistic programs.
“We too remain concerned” by North Korean violations of UN-approved
sanctions, the US official said. These include illegal shipments of oil by
sea that, according to Washington, enables Pyongyang to bust its import
quotas.
Gatherings like the ASEAN meeting are “an opportunity to remind all
countries of their obligations in adherence” of UN Security Council
resolutions, the official said.
At the United Nations, the United States asked a UN sanctions committee to
halt all deliveries of refined oil products to North Korea after accusing
Pyongyang of using illegal imports to exceed a cap on permissible deliveries.
A cut-off of oil and fuel would require enforcement primarily by China,
which supplies most of North Korea’s energy needs, but also by Russia, which
delivers some oil to Pyongyang.
Russia and China, which put a six-month hold on the US request, will be
represented at the ASEAN meeting.
BSS/AFP/MRI/2243 hrs