Trump, Kim agree to repatriating US military remains

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Trump, Kim agree to repatriating US military remains

Both leaders characterised the document they signed as historic though neither provided details.

By Web Report

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Published: Tue 12 Jun 2018, 6:37 AM

Last updated: Wed 13 Jun 2018, 1:14 AM

President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un concluded an extraordinary summit Tuesday with lofty promises by the American president to take care of a "very dangerous problem" and Kim forecasting "major change for the world."
They signed a document that Trump described as "pretty comprehensive," but he declined to describe it, saying the details would be revealed later.
The document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.

Trump said that the process of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula will begin "very soon" as he wrapped up a landmark summit with Kim Jong Un.
"We're starting that process," Trump said in response to a question about denuclearisation, adding that it would start "very quickly."
Earlier, Kim and Trump shook hands and smiled cautiously as they met at their summit, in which the two men will look for ways to end a nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula.
 
Should they succeed in making a diplomatic breakthrough, it could bring lasting change to the security landscape of Northeast Asia, like the visit of former US President Richard Nixon to China in 1972 led to the transformation of China.
"Nice to meet you Mister President," Kim said as he sat alongside Trump, against a backdrop of North Korean and US flags, beaming broadly as the US president gave him a thumbs up. Trump said he was sure they would have a "terrific relationship".

With cameras of the world's press trained on them, Trump and Kim displayed an initial atmosphere of bonhomie.
"I feel really great," Trump said. "It's gonna be a great discussion and I think tremendous success. I think it's gonna be really successful and I think we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt."
Kim replied: "Well, it was not easy to get here. The past has ... placed many obstacles in our way but we overcame all of them and we are here today."

Both men looked serious as they got out of their limousines for the summit at the Capella hotel on Singapore's Sentosa, a resort island with luxury hotels, a casino, manmade beaches and a Universal Studios theme park.
But they were soon smiling and holding each other by the arm, before Trump guided Kim to the library where they held a meeting with only their interpreters. Trump had said on Saturday he would know within a minute of meeting Kim whether he would reach a deal.
After some initial exchanges lasting around half-an-hour, Trump and Kim emerged, walking side-by-side through the colonnaded hotel before re-entering the meeting room, where they were joined by their most senior officials.

As the two leaders met, Singapore navy vessels, and air force Apache helicopters patrolled, while fighter jets and an Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning aircraft circled.
Financial markets were largely steady in Asia and did not show any noticeable reaction to the start of the summit. The dollar was at a three-week high and the MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares was largely unchanged from Monday.
While Trump and Kim search each other's eyes and words for signs of trust or deceit, the rest of the world will be watching, hoping that somehow these two unpredictable leaders can find a way to defuse one of the planet's most dangerous flashpoints.
The Latest on the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in Singapore (all UAE time):
11:45am
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has spoken with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts after President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Pompeo tweeted shortly after the summit ended Tuesday that he’d telephoned South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono. The State Department released a photograph of Pompeo on the phone.
Pompeo says on Twitter he provided the diplomats with “a brief readout of today’s meeting” between Trump and Kim. The two leaders concluded their summit by signing a document in which Trump pledged “security guarantees” to the North and Kim reiterated his commitment to “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
The State Department is declining to release any additional information about the calls.
11:30am
President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un have concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit by signing a document in which Trump pledged “security guarantees” to the North and Kim reiterated his commitment to “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Light on specifics, the document largely amounted to an agreement to continue discussions as it reiterated previous public statements and past commitments. It did not include an agreement to take steps toward ending the technical state of warfare between the US and North Korea.
The pair promised in the document to “build a lasting and stable peace regime” on the Korean Peninsula and to repatriate remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War.
10:25am
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has left the small Singapore island that was the site of his meeting with President Donald Trump.
Kim's convoy was left Sentosa Island on Tuesday afternoon after he signed a document with the American president, who stayed behind at the hotel where the two leaders met.
Both leaders characterised the document they signed as historic though neither provided details. Trump says the details would come later.
The summit was the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.
10:16am
President Donald Trump is praising North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "very worthy, very smart negotiator" on behalf of his people as the two leaders bid each other farewell after their historic summit.
Trump was asked by reporters in Singapore during his final appearance with Kim on Tuesday what surprised him most during their meetings.
Trump says Kim has a "great personality" and is "very smart. Good combination."
Trump also says he learned Kim is "a very talented man" and "loves his country very much."
He's wrapping up the summit by saying the two had "a terrific day" and "learned a lot about each other and about our countries."
He says he expects they'll meet again many times.
10:00am
President Donald Trump says he "absolutely" would invite North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the White House.
After Kim and Trump signed what Trump called a "pretty comprehensive" document, Trump was asked about a possible invitation. Trump said "absolutely, I would" invite Kim.
Before Tuesday's summit in Singapore, Trump had dangled the prospect of a White House visit for Kim.
Both leaders characterized the document they signed as historic though neither provided details. Trump said the details would come later.
Trump and Kim commented as they closed a historic first meeting between a sitting US president and a leader of North Korea.
9:15am
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un emerged from their Singapore summit with the US president hailing "a lot of progress" and a "fantastic" sit-down.
"We had a really fantastic meeting," Trump said as he strolled out of the Capella Hotel side-by-side with the North Korean leader.
"A lot of progress. Really, very positive, I think better than anybody could have expected, top of the line, really good," Trump added, before showing Kim the interior of "The Beast", his armour-plated limousine.
"We're going right now for a signing," Trump said, referring to an unspecified document.
9am
President Donald Trump has given North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a rare peek inside the US presidential limousine.
As the two leaders strolled around the grounds of the Singapore resort where they're having their summit Tuesday, they walked up to the US limousine nicknamed The Beast.
Trump can be seen talking and gesturing before a Secret Service agent opens the door and the leaders look in.
It wasn't immediately clear how Kim felt about the presidential tour, but he seemed to be smiling.
Trump says he and Kim will be signing a document shortly, but he declined to specify what that document would say.
8:55am
President Donald Trump says he and North Korea's Kim Jong-un will be signing a document shortly.
Trump declined to specify what exactly the leaders would be signing.
Trump said after emerging from hours of talks with Kim on Tuesday in Singapore that "we're going right now for a signing."
Asked what he'd be signing, Trump said: "We're going to be announcing that in a couple of minutes."
Trump also said that the meeting was "going great" and that they had made "a lot of progress." He says he thinks it was "better than anybody could imagine."
8:45am
President Donald Trump says his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un went "better than anybody could imagine."
The leaders emerged from a working lunch and strolled together down a paved walkway Tuesday before stopping and posing before the waiting news media.
Trump said the meeting is "going great. We had a really fantastic meeting."
He added that there has been "a lot of progress. Really very positive. I think better than anybody could imagine."
The working lunch was the final official event scheduled for the leaders before they go their separate ways.
Trump is scheduled to address the press corps and then begin the journey back to Washington.
8:30am

President Donald Trump is sounding optimistic about his ability to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program after a lengthy one-on-one meeting with leader Kim Jong-un.

Trump said Tuesday at the beginning of expanded discussions with aides from both countries that "We will solve a big problem" and "a big dilemma."

He talked about the pair achieving "tremendous success together" and predicts that "it will be successful. It will be done."

It was hard to hear the president and Kim over the constant clicking of camera shutters, and it remains unclear precisely what he was referring to.

But Kim appeared to echo the president's optimism.

7:20am

President Donald Trump says that his one-on-one meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was "very, very good" and that the two have an "excellent relationship."

Trump and Kim met for about 40 minutes Tuesday one-on-one, joined only by interpreters.

Trump made the comments as he and Kim walked together along balcony as they headed to a larger meeting with aides.

Trump was flanked in the larger meeting by chief of staff John Kelly, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton. They sat across the table from Kim and his team.

6:15am
President Donald Trump is predicting that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will have "a terrific relationship" as they meet face to face for the first time.

Trump said Tuesday after meeting Kim that he's feeling "really great." He says, "We're going to have a great discussion and a terrific relationship."

Kim says through an interpreter that it "was not easy to get here" and that there "were obstacles but we overcame them to be here."

The two men are expected to meet on their own for the better part of an hour, with only a pair of interpreters in the room.

That decision has raised concerns about the risk of holding such a monumental meeting with barely anyone to bear witness.

6:00am

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are sharing a historic handshake as they meet for the first time.
 
The two clasped hands for a long while on Tuesday as they posed for photos in front of a row of US and North Korean flags. Trump then directed Kim to walk down a hallway, where they briefly spoke.

It's the first ever meeting between a sitting US president and North Korean leader.

Trump and Kim arrived not long ago on Singapore's Sentosa Island, the site of their unprecedented summit. It's aimed at settling a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

The two will huddle alone for roughly 45 minutes before being joined by aides for a larger meeting and working lunch.

Trump has said he'll know within minutes whether a deal can be made.

5:09am

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived at Singapore's Sentosa Island, where he'll be meeting shortly face-to-face with President Donald Trump.

The two men are expected to share a handshake before they meet alone with a pair of interpreters for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby.
 


After the intimate huddle, they're scheduled to hold a larger meeting and working lunch. Trump's chief of staff, national security adviser and secretary of state are among those expected to join.

The meeting is the first sit-down between a sitting US president and North Korean leader and is meant to settle a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Trump earlier defended his decision to meet with Kim, tweeting that North Korea has already released three detainees and that missile tests have halted.

4:45am

President Donald Trump has arrived on Singapore's Sentosa Island for his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Trump's motorcade pulled into the grounds of the Capella Hotel at 8:13 am Tuesday local time.

He is scheduled to meet Kim for the first time at 9am.

Kim is also en route to Sentosa Island for the meeting to discuss the fate of his country's nuclear weapons arsenal.

4:30am

Kim Jong-un's entourage has left for the luxury Singapore island resort where the North Korean leader will meet with President Donald Trump.

Kim's black armored limousine with two large North Korean flags was surrounded Tuesday by police vehicles, their lights flashing, and other black cars.


There's excitement surrounding the summit but also skepticism that the North will relinquish a nuclear weapons program it spent decades building despite crushing sanctions.

Kim and Trump are scheduled to meet alone, with their interpreters, after greeting each other at the resort.

4:50am

North Korea's state media has reported on Kim Jong-un's late-night tour of Singapore with unusual speed.

Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun on Tuesday filled its front page with photos of his visits to Singapore's landmarks, including the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands resort.

The North's Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying that Singapore is "clean and beautiful and every building is stylish" and that he will learn "a lot from the good knowledge and experience of Singapore in various fields in the future."

It's rare that security-obsessed North Korea reports on Kim's activities within hours. When Kim visited China for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in March and May, state media didn't report on the trips until after he returned home.

Some experts say North Korea is trying to keep up with the speed of the Western media in Singapore.
3:05am

President Donald Trump is sitting down with Fox News host Sean Hannity after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Fox News says the interview will take place Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore. Trump and Kim are set to meet on Sentosa Island on Tuesday morning for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby.

The interview is set to air on Fox's "Hannity" at 9 p.m. Tuesday on the U.S. East Coast, which is 9am Wednesday in Singapore.

Fox News says Trump will talk about the meeting with Kim and future relations between the two countries.

Hannity is a friend and confidant of the president and speaks out in support of Trump on his show.

3:20am

President Donald Trump says the "haters & losers" are complaining that his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un is a "major loss," but he notes that the US has gotten its three captives returned and that the North's nuclear missile launches have stopped.

Trump tweeted early Tuesday from Singapore, just hours before his face-to-face with Kim.

He says, "The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the US, say the haters & losers." But he says "our hostages" are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.

He says, "These pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say!"

Critics have argued that Kim has notched a win by getting a sit-down with the US president.

3:10am

President Donald Trump says "we will all know soon" whether he can reach a deal with North Korea's Kim Jong-un to end its nuclear program.

Trump is tweeting hours before the leaders' historic face-to-face that, "Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly."

But he says that, "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!"

Before leaving Washington for Singapore, Trump said his gut instincts will guide him when he gets into the room with Kim.

He told reporters he'll know almost immediately whether a deal can be made, saying: "I will know, just my touch, my feel. That's what I do."

Their meeting is scheduled for 9am Singapore time.


2:50am
Mattis says 'all's quiet,' militarily, in North Korea
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the US has picked up no indications that North Korea's military is in a heightened state of alert in the run-up to the Singapore summit.

Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday that "All's quiet" in North Korea.

Mattis is declining to discuss his expectations for President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

He says he does not expect it to include a negotiation over reducing the number of U.S. troops in South Korea - currently about 28,000. He says that, at least initially, this is a matter between Washington and Seoul.

1:30 am
Trump and Kim Jong Un to meet 1 on 1
For better part of an hour, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will square off one on one, alone but for a pair of translators. That's raising concerns about the risk of holding such a monumental meeting with barely anyone to bear witness.

Trump and Kim will meet on Singapore's Sentosa Island for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby.

The huddle will come before a larger meeting and a working lunch attended by top advisers to the president and their North Korean counterparts.

Word of the private meeting unleashed a torrent of criticism on social media from national security veterans who worry the lack of a transcript will create a he-said-he-said showdown that could turn into a major headache for Trump.
I got call saying Trump was proud of me: Rodman
 
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has arrived in Singapore, hours before President Donald Trump is set to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time.

Rodman emerged from the baggage claim area at Changi airport around midnight Monday. He told reporters he wasn't sure if he would meet Kim in Singapore.

Last week, Rodman said he would "give whatever support is needed" to his "friends" Trump and Kim.

White House officials have said Rodman will play no official role in the diplomatic negotiations. Trump said last week that Rodman had not been invited to the summit.

He is one of the few westerners to have met the North Korean leader on visits to the capital city Pyongyang.
 
UN chief urges Korean denuclearisation
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to seize the opportunity "to support a peaceful, prosperous, secure and verifiably denuclearized Korean Peninsula."

The UN chief is commending the two leaders for pursuing a diplomatic solution and "seeking to break out of the dangerous cycle that created so much concern last year."

Guterres told reporters Monday ahead of the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore that "peace and verifiable denuclearization must remain the clear and shared goal."

The secretary-general says he wrote to both leaders last month saying "the road ahead will require cooperation, compromise and a common cause."

He says the UN system "stands ready to support this process in every way, including verification if requested by both parties."
Optimism, caution
In the hours before the summit began, Trump expressed optimism about prospects for the first-ever meeting of sitting US and North Korean leaders, while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a note of caution whether Kim would prove to be sincere about his willingness to denuclearise.
Officials of the two sides held last-minute talks to lay the groundwork for the summit of the old foes, an event almost unthinkable just months ago, when they were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war.
Staff-level meetings between the United States and North Korea were going "well and quickly," Trump said in a message on Twitter on Tuesday.
But he added: "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!"
The combatants of the 1950-53 Korean War are technically still at war, as the conflict, in which millions of people died, was concluded only with a truce.
On Tuesday morning, Pompeo fed the mounting anticipation of diplomatic breakthrough, saying: "We're ready for today."
He earlier said the event should set the framework for "the hard work that will follow", insisting that North Korea had to move toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.
North Korea, however, has shown little appetite for surrendering nuclear weapons it considers vital to the survival of Kim's dynastic rule.
Sanctions on North Korea would remain in place until that happened, Pompeo said on Monday. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction ... those measures will increase."
He added: "North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearise and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere."
The White House said later that discussions with North Korea had moved "more quickly than expected" and Trump would leave Singapore on Tuesday night after the summit, rather than Wednesday, as scheduled earlier.
Kim is due to leave on Tuesday afternoon, a source involved in the planning of his visit has said.
One of the world's most reclusive leaders, Kim visited Singapore's waterfront on Monday, smiling and waving to onlookers, adding to a more affable image that has emerged since his April summit with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.
The Swiss-educated leader, who is believed to be 34, has not left his isolated country since taking office in 2011, apart from visiting China and the South Korean side of the border Demilitarised Zone, which separates the two Koreas.
'Changed era'
 Just a few months ago, Kim was an international pariah accused of ordering the killing of his uncle, a half-brother and scores of officials suspected of disloyalty.
The summit was part of a "changed era", North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency said in its first comments on the event.
Talks would focus on "the issue of building a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean peninsula, the issue of realising the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concern", it added.
Ahead of the summit, North Korea rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, and KCNA's reference to denuclearisation of the peninsula has historically meant it wants the United States to remove a "nuclear umbrella" protecting South Korea and Japan.
Trump spoke to both South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday to discuss developments ahead of the summit.
For Kim, the authoritarian leader of a militarised state that has shunned contact with the outside world, the ultimate goal aside from security guarantees would be freedom and support to develop an impoverished economy.
For Trump, achieving a momentous foreign policy success would cement his place in history.
Many experts on North Korea remain sceptical Kim will ever completely abandon nuclear weapons, believing his engagement aims to get the United States to ease crippling sanctions.
"The process could be doomed before it begins," said Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association, adding that a common understanding of denuclearisation was key to success.


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