[AP / Yonhap]
SINGAPORE -- U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to determine through his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un whether "a real deal" could happen, hours before the two leaders appear for a showdown that could change a political landscape in Northeast Asia.
Trump's comment came after U.S. and North Korean officials held a final round of talks on late Monday to narrow differences over some contentious issues and finalize agenda items for the first-ever face-to-face meeting between the leaders of Cold War enemies.
"Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly ... but in the end, that doesn't matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!" Trump tweeted.
Before coming to Singapore, Kim has taken a series of conciliatory steps. He released three American citizens held in the North, suspended nuclear and missile tests and closed the North's nuclear test site. However, many pundits cast doubts about North Korea's true intentions.
"The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers," Trump wrote. "We have our hostages, testing, research and all missle (sic) launches have stoped (sic), and these pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say! We will be fine!"
Citing "verification" as the missing element in previous agreements, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Monday that Washington would make sure to verify any dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
"The 'V' matters," he said, referring to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID). "We're going to ensure that we set up a system sufficiently robust that we're able to verify these outcomes, and it's only once the 'V' happens that we will proceed apace."
CVID is the U.S. goal and sanctions on North Korea will remain until that goal is achieved, Pompeo said, adding the two sides could come to "a logical conclusion even more quickly than we anticipated." Washington is prepared to provide security assurances that are "different" and "unique", but a lot of work still remains, the secretary said.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
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