29 Mar 2024
Saturday 10 March 2018 - 10:35
Story Code : 297031

Expert explains what to expect from Trump-Kim Jong Un meeting



Sputnik - Sputnik spoke with Dylan Loh, of the department of politics and international studies at the University of Cambridge on the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un and what can we expect when the two leaders meet.




After the inter-Korean summit, a South Korean delegation met withUS president Donald Trump inWashington witha message fromKim Jong Un that North Korea was willing todiscuss terms ofdenuclearisation. The proposed meeting betweenthe pair is set totake place inMay. President Trump hailed the great progress inrelations butinsisted that sanctions would remain inplace. South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said the news came likea miracle.

Sputnik: How prepared is the US administration forthis meeting?

Dylan Loh:There are questions overRex Tillerson and how much is he inthe loop onthe North Korean issue because just recently he said talks withNorth Korea are a distant possibility and this has now come tobe realised. I think that they are prepared, I don think they are wholly unprepared, the timeline does give them some time toprepare tothink abouttheir own strategy and what theyll want toachieve fromthis meeting. A lot ofit will really hinge onwhat Trump himself wishes toderive from this because looking athis reaction you see that one ofhis comments were I hope the media gives me fordoing this. I do not think that it would fall apart, there will be something fromthis meeting forboth parties.

Sputnik: What topics other thanthe nuclear situation could be covered inthese talks?

Dylan Loh:I think a lot ofissues will be raised; chief amongstthem all would be the denuclearisation. Kim has been prepared togive it up. Others that will be raised intandem withthe nukes would be sanctions, whether South Korea and the US will scale downsome ofactivities. It was interesting that the South Korea official said that Kim accepts the reality ofjoint exercises betweenSouth Korea and United States. I do think that the US would respond inkind or atleast scale downsome ofthe exercises, reducing some ofthe numbers and the scale inwhich it takes place. Whether there will be some loosening ofsanctions that will be discussed or tied into the denuclearisation. There should also be scaling back the rhetoric that has taken place overthe pastyear. There should be some acknowledgment that personal insults betweenthe leaders afterthe meeting must be reduced or not said atall.

Sputnik: The last attempt attalks was a decade ago, could we likely see other leaders involved inthe talks

Dylan Loh:There is always a chance that North Korea or the United States would walk away. I think the chances ofthem making something outof this and coming upwith a solution and manage the issue. I am cautiously optimistic aboutthis because both leaders have more reasons tomake this work thanto make it not work. There are several favourable factors working atthe moment forexample there was peace duringthe Olympics and North Korea has indeed not tested themselves and they stated upfront the four hour marathon talks that the North and South had inPyongyang was indicative ofthis I think. It could be a trap, North Korea could agree tosuspend their nuclear testing and they go back onit, which happened beforein 2012.


The views expressed inthis article are solely those ofthe speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official position ofSputnik.





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